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Dear Friend:
The entertainment industry is an economic engine with jobs and purchasing power. To keep those jobs here, I’m encouraged that the City Council unanimously supported my motion to create new financial incentives for lower budget production in Los Angeles, specifically for vertical content and short-form. I introduced this legislation to not only maximize production in Los Angeles, but to let this new emerging industry know that Hollywood welcomes you.
The market for professionally produced short-form content is projected to hit $15 billion by 2028, and the City of Los Angeles needs to be positioned as the national and global hub for this next wave of storytelling. With budgets typically under $200,000, micro-drama productions often fall below the threshold to qualify for California’s state tax credits and creators are relocating to other cities to benefit from tax credits offered by other jurisdictions.
My goal is to assist vertical content creators by establishing a grant program that provides upfront funding to incentivize local production and generate local jobs. The targeted support to micro-drama production will not only nurture a new generation of creative talent, but also help future-proof Los Angeles, keeping us at the center of the global entertainment industry. Now, City departments will create plans to review permitting structures to lower costs and speed up turnaround, create rebate opportunities for property owners who offer discounted rates to qualifying productions to expand access to affordable locations for vertical content creators, find funding sources, and more. Stay tuned for more updates. |
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Advancing Animal Welfare Through City Partnerships |
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Team Blumenfield had an incredible time visiting with human and furry friends at Paws for Life, getting a behind the scenes tour of this truly special place. Last year alone, they helped rescue over 1,200 dogs and since the start of 2026, Paws for Life has found forever homes for over 100 cats and dogs.
Out of control litters of kittens and puppies cost the City millions and can swiftly overload our Animal Services Department. Partnering with groups like Paws for Life saves taxpayers dollars, and significantly lowers the unnecessary pain and suffering of animals.
Councilmember Blumenfield is committed to growing these sorts of partnerships throughout Los Angeles. Just this week, the City Council approved a three year contract extension with Paws for Life for adoption, veterinary, and animal welfare services at their Mission Hills location.
Available animals at Paws for Life come from all of the city’s shelters, and the facility is welcoming, clean, and ready to help you meet your new best friend. Residents looking to add a new companion to their family are encouraged to consider adopting through Paws for Life and give a deserving pet a loving home. More information can be found here. |
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Growing LA’s Unarmed Crisis Response Program |
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In partnership with the Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department (CHRED) and the Youth Development Department (YDD), Councilmember Blumenfield joined a virtual workshop promoting careers in unarmed crisis response.
The event served as a key step in fulfilling the Councilmember’s vision, established in 2020, to grow the City’s Unarmed Crisis Response (UMCR) program. The event addressed the critical shortage in the behavioral health workforce—including licensed clinical social workers, nurse practitioners, and peer support specialists—needed to expand UMCR city-wide and divert non-violent 9-1-1 calls to specialized crisis response teams.
The data is clear--of 19,220 calls for service to UMCR, only about 4% of them required LAPD assistance. Over 16,000 calls were diverted from sworn law enforcement and first responders, freeing them up to handle more life threatening calls for service. The City Administrative Officer confirmed that the UMCR teams cost approximately $35 per response, whereas the equivalent response would cost $85 if it were to be conducted by a sworn officer. This continues to be a win-win as people in crises get an appropriate response and our police officers are freed up to focus on fighting crime in our neighborhoods. |
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Call for Arts Organizations: Madrid Theatre's 100th Anniversary Grand Re-Opening |
The Department of Cultural Affairs is seeking six performing arts organizations with a connection/performance history with the Madrid Theatre to create and present a family-friendly, original 12–15 minute piece (dance, music, theatre, cultural performance, or fusion) as part of the Madrid Theatre 100th Anniversary Grand Re-Opening Celebration. The Madrid Theatre, an anchor site in Councilmember Blumenfield’s designated Canoga Park Arts Hub, continues to undergo state-of-the-art renovations. More details and application can be found here.
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Volunteers Needed to Grow our Urban Tree Canopy |
As you may know, TreePeople is aiming to plant 1,000 trees and distribute 5,000 trees throughout the San Fernando Valley. A significant portion of these trees will be planted in Canoga Park and Winnetka and will beautify neighborhoods and provide much-needed shade and environmental benefits. TreePeople relies heavily on volunteers to bring these projects to life and your help is needed at upcoming events on 2/21 and 2/28. More info can be found here.
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Cleaning and Greening the West Valley |
Councilmember Blumenfield’s partnership with the Los Angeles Conservation Corps (LACC) continues to deliver results for the West Valley. Young Corpsmembers work hard each day to keep our communities clean. A few years ago, Blumenfield provided office space for the LACC within his district office building, and he regularly allocates district specific funds to LACC to specifically address needs in the local communities and he's always grateful to see their continued progress. He views this local team as a potent local clean-up strike force to help remove weeds, trash and other nuisances.
If you see bulky items, excess trash, graffiti, etc, call 818.774.4330 or email c03.foryou@lacity.org and we'll send a team out.
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Councilmember Blumenfield stood with UNAC/UHCP nurses and healthcare workers at Kaiser Woodland Hills and across California and Hawaii as they fought for a fair contract and improved working conditions. Blumenfield encouraged continued support for these frontline workers who worked tirelessly to save lives.
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Councilmember Blumenfield joined West Valley residents who come together to protest ICE and this administration. ICU nurses and moms murdered, reporters arrested for doing their jobs, countless locations from LA to Minneapolis raided to hunt down people trying to build a better life — we must stand up for the constitution and one another, demand accountability, and refuse to normalize cruelty and lawlessness.
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Team Blumenfield visited the Annenberg Wildlife Crossing site, an essential investment in wildlife conservation. This project is restoring connectivity across fragmented habitats and helping ensure a future where people and wildlife can thrive together.
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Community Events and Resources |
This week's photo from the Los Angeles Public Library's archives is from the Valley Times Collection taken in 1963 of a Rocketdyne film crew shooting a static test. During that time, the Rocketdyne Canoga Park aerospace firm produced over 500 motion pictures. Learn more about the photo here. |
Councilmember Bob Blumenfield 200 N Spring Street, Room 465, Los Angeles, CA 90012 Unsubscribe |
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