to the editor: All mayoral candidates tout plans to ease permits for low-budget productions to stimulate the entertainment industry (“How Hollywood's production crisis became a key issue in the Los Angeles mayoral race,” May 17). Unfortunately, the result of this plan will be to encourage non-union manufacturing while continuing to eliminate more lucrative and vital union jobs. At best, IATSE [International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees] can accommodate such low-budget programs, but at the lowest level, salaries are often not enough to support workers. In the worst case, this strategy will lead to a proliferation of non-unionized production, similar to what existed in the 1980s.
Permit cuts must be across the board to truly achieve the promised resuscitation of the film industry.
Suzan Lowitz, Hollywood
