Why more filmmakers could soon be eyeing Oakland

A proposed mid-cycle budget includes reinstating a film rebate program that had been shelved since 2024. The ordinance creating the incentive was passed unanimously in July 2024 and originally planned $500,000 in annual rebates funded by Coliseum sale proceeds. Rebates were intended for TV and film expenditures, with each project receiving between $50,000 and $250,000, including a 10% rebate on eligible expenses and additional rebates tied to hiring labor from Oakland zip codes with the highest unemployment levels. When the sale failed, the ordinance remained but lacked funding. If approved, the program would be managed by a film office within the Economic Workforce Development department and would require hiring staff to implement it, including a permit inspector position in the mayor’s proposal.

"When Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee released her proposed mid-cycle budget on May 15, she proposed a fresh round of reductions, citing "grave financial and operational challenges that must be decisively addressed." But there was one item she restored that had been shelved since 2024, restoring a $250,000 film rebate program."

"The ordinance establishing that incentive program, co-sponsored by councilmember Carroll Fife, passed unanimously in July 2024. At the time, the $500,000 in annual rebates was to be funded with proceeds from the Coliseum sale. According to the ordinance, the rebates would apply to TV and film expenditures, giving each project between $50,000 and $250,000, a 10% rebate on all eligible expenses, and other rebates if the production hires labor from one of Oakland zip codes with the top five highest levels of unemployment."

"According to Jean Walsh, a city spokesperson, if that line item is approved as part of the midcycle budget, the program would be managed by a film office within the Economic Workforce Development department and would require hiring a staff member for implementation. The mayor's proposed budget adds that line - a special activity permit inspector who would handle the rebate funding."

""The reinstatement of the rebates is a great beginning, and Oakland still needs to commit to creating an ecosystem for media makers," Emmy-award-winning writer and producer W. Kamau Bell told The Oaklandside by email. "Training programs, affordable housing, paid internships, and more. When a young person can be born and raised in Oakland and see that having a career in media is a legitimate choice while still living in Oakland, then we will have really done something special.""

Read at The Oaklandside