Culver City Makes Film Production Incentives Permanent
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- Culver City Council approved its nearly $400 million fiscal 2026-27 budget last week, permanently adopting film incentive measures that had been in place on a temporary basis since May after starting as fee waivers in December.
- Netflix was setting up to film a television episode on June 9 at the American Legion Post #46 on Sepulveda Boulevard—a mid-century building that previously doubled as a nightclub in Clint Eastwood's 2014 Warner Bros. film 'Jersey Boys.'
- MGM+ Studios is currently lensing a TV series titled 'Start of Watch Block 4' in the city, alongside an industrial shoot called 'Drones.'
- The incentive package includes free production parking, suspension of business tax collection, a film location tour developed in partnership with FilmLA, and a film-specific business directory.
- Mayor Freddy Puza said continuing the program 'ensures we remain competitive, retain these economic benefits, and strengthen our legacy as a place where creativity and innovation thrive.'
- Culver City is home to Sony Pictures Entertainment, Amazon MGM Studios, and Apple's entertainment operations, and brands itself as 'the heart of Screenland.'
Why it matters: Culver City has made fee waivers and tax breaks a permanent part of its $400 million fiscal 2026-27 budget while Netflix and MGM+ are actively filming within city limits—the city is trading foregone permit and tax revenue for the local jobs and business spending that production crews bring. Mayor Puza explicitly framed the move as keeping Culver City 'competitive' against other LA-area jurisdictions chasing the same productions.
