FilmLA Must Go: Corrupt, Obstructive, and Desperately in Need of a Full Audit

Los Angeles is the film capital of the world—or at least, it used to be. As creatives flee to cheaper, more supportive cities, we need to ask: who’s really responsible for pushing production out of L.A.? One answer: FilmLA.

This so-called nonprofit operates like a cartel with a website. And not even a good one. Their site is a broken, confusing, outdated mess that feels intentionally difficult to navigate. It’s the front-facing symptom of a deeper rot: a privatized bureaucracy that exists to extract, delay, and obstruct rather than support.

The City of Los Angeles made a crucial error when it privatized its film permitting process and handed power to FilmLA. The result? Costs went up, transparency went down, and the little guy got squeezed. The very first thing FilmLA did was raise the price of film permits. That’s right—at a time when we’re fighting to keep jobs here, when crew and creators are scraping to make payroll, FilmLA’s answer was to make it more expensive to work in Los Angeles.

Follow the money.

Why is a private company in charge of public film permits? This isn’t some fringe question—it’s a crisis of public trust. FilmLA holds city power but operates without city accountability. No public budget, no public scrutiny, no democratic oversight. It’s corruption with a glossy nonprofit logo on top. Almost as corrupt as some of the union leaders who claim to fight for workers while lining their own pockets.

Remember during the strike when a union leader quietly put her own husband to work for the WGA—getting paid—while the rest of her union struggled on the picket lines? Then she turns around and tells everyone he was “volunteering.” That’s the same kind of closed-door hypocrisy that lets FilmLA thrive.

Uncover the truth now

The city must demand a full forensic audit—of FilmLA’s finances, contracts, email correspondence, and how decisions are made about permit approvals and fee structures. How much is being funneled to executive salaries? Who’s profiting off the permitting delays? Why does the process seem to mysteriously “ease up” for studios but not for locals?

FilmLA has weaponized bureaucracy against the very people it’s supposed to serve. It’s an embarrassment, a liability, and a job-killer. And it’s time for it to end. Public permitting should be run by the city—not outsourced to an unaccountable corporation propped up by the same power games that plague Hollywood labor politics.

Burn it down. Audit everything. Start over—with transparency, public oversight, and actual support for the people who built this town.