point person

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.

TORONTO —  Canada’s governing Liberal Party will announce the country’s next prime minister on March 9 after a leadership vote that follows the resignation of Justin Trudeau this month, party leaders said.

Trudeau remains prime minister until a new leader is chosen.

Ex-Finance Minster Chrystia Freeland, whose abrupt resignation last month spurred Justin Trudeau’s exit, is another frontrunner for prime minister.

(Patrick Doyle / Associated Press)

The frontrunners for the Liberal leadership are former central banker Mark Carney and ex-Finance Minster Chrystia Freeland, whose abrupt resignation last month forced Trudeau’s exit.

Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, meanwhile, has decided to not enter the race. Joly said that while she’s ready to become the first female leader of the Liberal party, she’s not willing to leave her cabinet posting at a “crucial time” for Canada-U. S. relations.

“The reality is, I can’t do both,” she told reporters on Parliament Hill on Friday.

Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc dashed the hopes of many of his fellow lawmakers Wednesday by becoming the first Cabinet minister to rule out a leadership bid.

The Liberal Party’s National Board of Directors announced the rules of the race late Thursday.

“After a robust and secure nation-wide process, the Liberal Party of Canada will choose a new leader on March 9, and be ready to fight and win the 2025 election,” party president Sachit Mehra said in a statement.

The political upheaval comes at a difficult moment for Canada. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump keeps calling Canada the 51st state and has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods.

The next Liberal leader could be the shortest-tenured prime minister in the country’s history. All three opposition parties have vowed to bring down the Liberals’ minority government in a no-confidence vote after parliament resumes March 24.

Recent polls suggest the Liberals’ chances of winning the next election look slim. In the latest poll by Nanos, the Liberals trail the opposition Conservatives 45% to 23%.

Trudeau announced his resignation Monday after facing an increasing loss of support both within his party and in the country.

The 53-year-old scion of Pierre Trudeau, one of Canada’s most famous prime ministers, became deeply unpopular with voters over a range of issues, including the soaring cost of food and housing as well as surging immigration.

Trudeau told Freeland last month he no longer wanted her to serve as finance minister, but that she could remain deputy prime minister and the point person for U.S.-Canada relations.

Freeland resigned shortly after and released a scathing letter about the government that proved to be the last straw for the embattled leader. She has been talking to her colleagues this week to discuss next steps.

After she resigned, Trump called Freeland “totally toxic” and “not at all conducive to making deals.” Freeland was Canada’s point person when the U.S, Canada and Mexico redid its free trade deal during the first Trump administration.

Freeland is a combination of many things that seem to irritate Trump: a liberal, a Canadian, and a former journalist. Freeland, who is of Ukrainian heritage, has also been a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia’s invasion.

Carney is a highly educated economist with Wall Street experience who is widely credited as the head of Canada’s central bank with helping Canada dodge the worst of the 2008 crisis and helping the U.K. manage Brexit. In 2012, he was named the first foreigner to serve as governor of the Bank of England since it was founded in 1694.

He has long been interested in entering politics and becoming prime minister but lacks political experience. He said this week in a statement that he is encouraged by the support he has had, and that he will consider his decision with family over the next few days.

The Liberal party said the fee to join the leadership race will be $350,000 Canadian ($243,000) and candidates must declare by Jan. 23. The party said voters for the party leadership must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident.

Gillies writes for the Associated Press.