May 16, 2012 10:00 am
Room 250 Board of Supervisors Chambers
Film Rebate Program Extension and Funding
Ordinance amending the San Francisco Administrative Code by amending Section 57.8, to extend the Film Rebate Program for two additional years, through June 30, 2014, and to increase the total amount of available funds to $2,000,000 for film rebates during that period.
Under Chapter 57 of the San Francisco Administrative Code, the Film Rebate Program expires on June 30, 2012 and provides for $1.8 million of rebate funding over the three year period spanning from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2012.
This ordinance would extend the Film Rebate Program for two additional years, through June 30, 2014, and increase the total amount of available funds to $2,000,000 for film rebates during that two year period.
The purpose of the San Francisco Rebate program, known as the “Scene in San Francisco Rebate Program,” is to increase the number of film productions being made in San Francisco, increase the number of City residents employed in the filmmaking industry, and encourage the resulting economic benefits from filmmaking in San Francisco. Since 2006, the Film Rebate Program has offered rebates to several qualified film and television production companies for certain expenses paid to the City in an effort to increase local film and television production, support local hiring, and provide economic benefits to the City. Specifically, the current Film Rebate Program provides rebates for certain “qualified production costs” paid to the City, including, for example, film permit fees, payroll taxes, expenses for certain police services as described in Chapter 10B of the Administrative Code, and rental fees for City property or equipment used for film production activities.
The Scene in San Francisco Rebate program is scheduled to sunset on June 31, 2012. The San Francisco Film Commission is asking for your support, in person, at the Budget & Finance hearing May 16th, 2012, at 10:00 am, in Room 250 of the Board of Supervisors Chambers at City Hall. If you are unable to attend, letters of support are requested to be sent to the Board members:
Carmen Chu/BOS/SFGOV@SFGOV
Christina Olague/BOS/SFGOV@SFGOV
David Campos/BOS/SFGOV@SFGOV
David Chiu/BOS/SFGOV@SFGOV
Eric L Mar/BOS/SFGOV@SFGOV
Jane Kim/BOS/SFGOV@SFGOV
John Avalos/BOS/SFGOV@SFGOV
Malia Cohen/BOS/SFGOV@SFGOV
Mark Farrell/BOS/SFGOV@SFGOV
Scott Wiener/BOS/SFGOV@SFGOV
Sean Elsbernd/BOS/SFGOV@SFGOV
The extension of the “Scene in San Francisco” Rebate Program will help San Francisco continue to draw production to the City, as was seen in 2011 with the productions of Hemingway & Gellhorn, Knife Fight, Cherry, and the continuing untitled Disney stop-motion-animation production. In 2011 alone, these productions employed more than 200 local crew, 700 background actors, paid more than $1.7 million in local wages and spent more than $8 million on goods and services in San Francisco, while the rebated total was $606,283.
The extension of the Scene in San Francisco Rebate program is essential to attracting productions that base a large percentage of their film in the City, rather than shooting a few days in San Francisco and shoot the remainder in Vancouver or New York. At this time, other states and cities are aggressively luring production to their locales through tax credits, free use of City facilities and other creative financial incentives. We continue to lose jobs in the City to these jurisdictions and our entertainment labor force is threatened. Without the extension of the film rebate program, the film industry in the City will continue to decrease, and our labor force will be compelled to move to find film jobs elsewhere.
Extending the Scene in San Francisco Rebate program will have a positive impact on San Francisco by continuing to restore production and acting jobs, stimulating economic activity and reinvigorating the film industry.
(It is worth noting that the motion picture business is a clean industry and that production jobs pay competitive wages and offer generous benefits.)
SAMPLE LETTER:
(Please feel free to add more personal statements to this letter.)
Dear Supervisors,
I am writing to you in support of the extension of the Scene in San Francisco Rebate program. I am __________________________ (describe your role in the film or business community) and feel that the rebate program is essential to attracting long term film and television production to the City. (*Please feel free to elaborate about your experience with film productions in the City)
Since 2006, films using the Scene in San Francisco Rebate program have been responsible for thousands of jobs to San Franciscans, and millions of dollars to our local economy. These films also serve to attract additional tourist dollars, being spent in our hotels, restaurants and businesses.
At this time, other states and cities are aggressively luring production to their locales through large tax credits, free use of City facilities and other creative financial incentives. As a result, we continue to lose jobs in the City to these jurisdictions and our entertainment labor force is threatened. Without the extension of the film rebate program, the film industry in the City will continue to decrease, and our labor force will be compelled to move to find film jobs elsewhere.
I respectfully request your support of the extension of the Scene in San Francisco Rebate program.
Best regards,
Thank you for your help in supporting the extension of the Rebate Program!
Best regards,
Susannah Greason Robbins
Executive Director San Francisco Film Commission
City Hall, Room 473
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Pl.
San Francisco, CA 94102
