SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- The San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ budget committee approved a plan Wednesday night to provide rebates to lure production companies back into San Francisco to film commercials, TV shows and movies.
The three-year $1.8 million program provides rebates for things such as permits and policing to film makers who shoot on-location in the city.
While the amount may seem small, Film Director Stephanie Coyote told the budget committee this week that the rebates will offer film makers an extra incentive and could help tip the scale and aid the local economy in the long run.
“This incentive is designed to attract producers to come to San Francisco when they’re deciding where they’re going to film, and I view it as an investment in jobs,” said Coyote.
San Francisco used to be a favorite production site thanks to its iconic landscape, but then other cities, like Vancouver, began offering major incentives turning San Francisco into a dead zone. Coyote and other supporters say offer these same incentives could revitalize the city’s film industry and bring in more revenues.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the legislation was authored by Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier and allows the city to offer up to $600,000 in rebates per production.
Political insiders say it is likely that the board of supervisors will support the program in principle, but given the city’s budget crisis the film commission will probably only get a $400,000 for next year.
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