State politicians turn up the heat on Hollywood strike, hoping talks will resume
State politicians are ramping up pressure, hoping to encourage talks to resume with the writers, actors and studios to end the ongoing strike.
Governor Gavin Newsom wants to step in and help broker a deal. His office said Wednesday that he's contacted all sides, offering his assistance and wanting to open up conversations again.
But so far, neither the strikers nor studios have shown a formal interest in bringing the governor in. The state's economy is at risk with thousands of people out of work, leading to a ripple effect on other businesses and trades.
The governor isn't the only politician wanting all sides to return to the negotiating table, to reach an agreement.
Nearly 40 Democratic lawmakers sent a letter earlier this week to the presidents of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents Hollywood studios and streaming services.
The letter to the studios was spearheaded by Congressman Jimmy Gomez. "I wrote the letter to send a message to the studios that Congress is watching and we're listening and we want them to engage in good faith negotiations to resolve this strike," said Gomez.
Pasadena Congresswoman Judy Chu talked about the leverage Congress could use to get the studios back to bargaining.
"We know that there are production tax credits, there are federal tax credits, there are state tax credits, these are things that the production companies rely on and so their connection to us as legislatures is very important," said Chu.
Congressman Gomez said they can't force anything, but adding public pressure and calling out studios or corporations when they misbehave could encourage momentum back to the bargaining table.
"We want people to go back to the negotiating table and the studios to address the concerns of the writers and screen actors guild in order to resolve the strike in a fair and judicious manner – and we need to get them back to work as soon as possible. It hurts not only the workers, the studios but the regional economy," said Gomez.
The congressman said the bigger concern is that the pay that used to support middle-class acting and writing jobs, is no longer enough to support the cost of living in Los Angeles.
"Los Angeles is an expensive place to live and undermining their ability to make a living, that's a big deal," said Gomez.
