Raman Campaign Calls Bass Film Tax Credit Claim a 'Whopper'

By Tom Whitfield

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass claims in a new TV ad that she "expanded film and TV tax credits… saving thousands of Hollywood jobs." Councilmember Nithya Raman's campaign says that claim belongs to Sacramento, not City Hall.

The ad shows Bass speaking directly to camera: "With the film industry struggling, I cut fees and expanded film and TV tax credits… saving thousands of Hollywood jobs."

The credit-expansion record, however, sits with Governor Gavin Newsom, who led the effort to double the state's film incentive to $750 million last year. Lawmakers approved the measure in response to a dramatic downturn in L.A. production since 2022. Entertainment jobs have become a central issue in the mayoral race, with each candidate accusing the other of inaction.

What does the dispute actually turn on?

On Thursday, Raman spokesperson Liz Garcia accused Bass of taking credit for legislation passed at the state level.

"We're used to some whoppers from Mayor Bass, but this may be one of her biggest," Garcia said. "She's looking voters in the eye and taking credit for expanding film tax credits enacted at the state level. Meanwhile, Los Angeles has lost 40,000 entertainment jobs on her watch. The Mayor should spend less time taking credit for Sacramento's work and more time answering for her failure to protect the jobs and productions that make L.A. the entertainment capital of the world."

That 40,000 figure is the campaign's own framing; the statement does not specify a time period or source for the count.

Bass has a defender with direct standing. Rick Chavez Zbur, the author of the bill that expanded the state incentive, supports her re-election. He attended last week's NBC4 debate between Bass and Raman and backed her record.

"Bass was up advocating for it the whole of last year and this year," Zbur said. He called Raman "nowhere" on the issue, adding: "She did not focus on it. She was not up in Sacramento. She didn't support it. She didn't do anything. So this is a Johnny-come-lately issue for her."

A timeline the candidates read differently

• April 21: Raman releases her plan for Hollywood, including a push for unlimited state tax credits.
• May 1: Bass follows, saying she also supports uncapped tax credits.
• Last week: The two meet in an NBC4 debate where the tax-credit question surfaces only briefly.

At the debate, Raman accused Bass of arriving late to the issue. "This mayor only started talking about this tax credit after I entered the race," she said. "I feel an urgency about this issue, a real urgency, and Angelenos need that urgency from their mayor."

Bass rejected the charge outright. "That's completely untrue. I was involved in advocating for the state tax credit and involved in advocating for the federal tax credit. What we have done with the industry, we've done in partnership with the industry. So when you thought I didn't do anything on the tax credit, I was busy advocating in Sacramento and also participating with the industry here."

Notably, neither campaign has quantified Bass's specific contribution to the Sacramento bill — advocacy claims from both sides rest on assertion rather than documented legislative records.

Where union muscle lines up

Labor is split. The Writers Guild of America West has endorsed Raman, whose husband is a TV writer. Bass counts the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the Hollywood Teamsters, the American Federation of Musicians Local 47, and Laborers Local 300 in her corner.

With the $750 million expansion passed and both candidates now endorsing uncapped credits, the fight has shifted from policy to credibility — and voters will decide whose version of the timeline they believe.