liaison

More than two and a half years after she took office, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has fulfilled a nagging campaign promise to film industry advocates.

She is appointing Board of Public Works president Steve Kang to serve as a liaison between city bureaucracy and the film industry, she said Wednesday. The mayor made the announcement while speaking to a private Zoom meeting of her entertainment industry council Wednesday afternoon, according to three attendees.

Kang will be the chief film liaison, assisted by Dan Halden — who serves as acting director of external relations at the city’s Bureau of Street Services (StreetsLA) — and producer Amy Goldberg.

The city’s film liaison role was established under former Mayor Eric Garcetti.

In the past, the liaison has served as the point person for film and TV productions looking to shoot in L.A., helping filmmakers navigate the city’s vast bureaucracy.

“I have full confidence that President Steve Kang will deliver in his role as City Film Liaison by finding solutions that protect our signature industry and ensure that local filming of TV shows, movies and commercials can successfully continue and expand,” Bass said in a statement. “With the successful expansion of the California Film & TV Tax Credit and our ongoing efforts to improve local processes, our work continues to keep production jobs here and support small businesses who rely on the industry.”

Bass’ decision not to prioritize the appointment of a film liaison had long frustrated industry advocates. Those concerns were sharpened at a moment when L.A.’s future as a film capital is in peril.

Amid a broader slump in overall film and TV production, the city has long been bleeding production jobs to states and countries that offer generous tax incentives, cheaper labor and more filming-friendly bureaucracies.

Most of those issues are outside the mayor’s control. But some industry advocates felt that naming a film liaison would be an easy move that could make shooting in L.A. a little less of a headache.

Since Bass took office in December 2022, those advocates have pressed the mayor’s office on the issue, with no clear answers about the delay.

“There’s been a clear sense of need, and frustration that it hasn’t happened,” said one industry advocate, who had been present during the mayor’s office’s regular meetings with representatives from film studios, labor groups and other industry interests.

Garcetti had several film liaisons during his administration.

Members of the industry often point to City Hall veteran Kevin James — who held the role for several years beginning in 2015 — as an ideal model, since he had deep City Hall experience, as well as ties to the industry. James served as film liaison while president of the Board of Public Works. The board governs the city’s Department of Public Works, which is responsible for StreetsLA, as well as the street lighting, sanitation and engineering departments.

The mayor’s office has had to navigate a historically difficult 2025, beginning with a catastrophic firestorm, followed by immigration raids and an unprecedented military presence in the city — all of which have necessitated 24/7 crisis responses from her office. But the frustrations over the lack of a named point person far predate the recent crises.

While signing an executive directive to support local film and TV production in May, Bass was asked about the position and said she planned to appoint someone within the next few days.

More than three months later, she finally did.

Paul Krekorian, who is leaving the Los Angeles City Council due to term limits, will oversee the city’s handling of the 2026 World Cup, the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and other large events.

Mayor Karen Bass tapped Krekorian, who leaves office on Sunday and previously served as council president, to be executive director of the city’s Office of Major Events.

In that post, he will ensure that the Olympics and other sporting events provide “positive economic impacts for the city,” Bass’ office said.

Bass’ office didn’t respond to a request about Krekorian’s salary in the new role.

The veteran city lawmaker will serve as the primary liaison between Bass’ office and LA28, the private group organizing and paying for the Games. He will coordinate with city departments, work with the business community and oversee an effort to beef up the city’s transportation networks.

City leaders are hoping that the Games will boost tourism and the regional economy.

During the 2024 Summer Games, Paris saw a surge of visitors but also a dramatic fall-off in business for some shops and museums because of security restrictions that closed off parts of the city, according to the Associated Press.

City officials want the incoming Trump administration to pay for billions of dollars worth of transportation improvements ahead of the Games, though there is no clear indication that it will.

Bass, Krekorian and other city and county officials visited Paris earlier this year to study that city’s preparations.

“When we met with officials from Paris, they stressed the importance of pulling the entire city together to make sure all city departments were aligned and operating under the same vision,” Bass said in a statement, adding that “Krekorian is uniquely positioned” to lead that effort.

Bass pointed to Krekorian’s decades of experience handling city and state finances. Elected to the council in 2009, Krekorian led the powerful Budget and Finance Committee for several years, helping the city emerge from the 2008 recession and weather the economic shocks created by COVID-19.

The city is taking on a significant financial risk by hosting the Olympic Games. If the Olympics fail to bring in enough money, the city will be on the hook for the first $270 million and potentially millions more, according to an agreement reached several years ago.

At the same time, the city has limited power when it comes to the Olympics and Paralympics. The City Council can vote on venue changes, and LA28 will reimburse the city for some services, but the planning and execution of the events falls to LA28.

Krekorian, who was elected council president in 2022 and represents part of the San Fernando Valley, said earlier this year that he remains confident that the L.A. Olympics will be economically successful.

On Thursday, in a statement, he said he would work with Bass to “deliver the 2028 Games in a way that benefits everyone.”

Last month, Krekorian expressed worry about the election of Trump, who has repeatedly attacked California over its left-leaning policies. Krekorian said at the time that he was anticipating “four difficult years for our city on multiple levels, not least of which is our access to federal funding for different programs, and preparations for the Olympics.”

Trump announced Wednesday on Truth Social that he is nominating television commentator and former assistant treasury secretary Monica Crowley as the administration’s representative for “major U.S. hosted events,” including the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.