![]() ![]() Read Our Complete Coverage The Coronavirus Crisis The orders issued by both Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, and Newsom in recent days, however, explicitly reiterate support for the entertainment industry to remain in business. Some industry insiders feared that the latest round of shutdown orders in the face of surging coronavirus cases would revoke the designation. The workforce on film sets could continue operations throughout the night. Then, in November, Newsom provided a special exemption to television and film production companies for his earlier limited shelter-in-place order issued before Thanksgiving, which featured a curfew from 10 p.m to 5 a.m. But a revised listing, issued in April, declared that workers involved in “the entertainment industries, studios, and other related establishments” to be essential “provided they follow covid-19 public health guidance around physical distancing.” Initially, the state of California did not include Hollywood studios in the list of essential workers issued in March. Photo: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty ImagesĪn unusual series of exemptions has caused growing backlash to the entertainment industry. The Motion Picture Association referred The Intercept to a previous statement from the group noting that the industry has worked with union and guild partners “for reaching consensus on health and safety guidelines for motion picture, television and streaming productions in response to COVID-19.”Īn employee walks by the filming stages at Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, Calif., on June 12, 2020. The movie studios, Kinney, and the governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment. The jump in spending includes increased fees to Axiom Advisors, the firm founded by Kinney. This year, during the pandemic, Netflix’s lobbying fees jumped to an average of $70,725 a quarter. The streaming giant, according to filings, spent an average of about $24,437 a quarter on efforts to influence state policymakers in 2019. Netflix nearly tripled spending on lobbying in California as the pandemic hit the state. The Motion Picture Association spent $45,000 on lobbyists to shape the “COVID-19 Reopening of film/tv sector.” Paramount Pictures has spent at least $85,000 this year on the “essential business” rules developed by state agencies in California. Warner Brothers, for instance, spent $22,500 earlier this year on lobbyists contacting the governor’s office for “COVID/OUTREACH, TV/FILM PRODUCTION,” according to a disclosure. ![]() Sony Pictures, Walt Disney and Co., Paramount Pictures, Warner Brothers Entertainment, and the Motion Picture Association, the trade group for major Hollywood studios, deployed lobbyists to influence California state officials during the pandemic, disclosures show. Kinney is just one of many entertainment industry lobbyists who has sought to influence the governor’s office over essential work and coronavirus response rules. Californians in many counties now face fines or imprisonment for venturing outside for any “nonessential” travel, congregating in small groups, or operating an outdoor restaurant, even one that follows federal guidelines on social distancing and hygiene. This stands in sharp contrast to the strict rules applied to the average California resident or small business. Sony Pictures told investors that it began to ramp up its production schedule back in July. Many studios are still filming shows across Los Angeles, including HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and Netflix’s “The Kominsky Method,” along with at least 40 feature films that began filming in November. The state has deemed the television and movie production industry as “ critical infrastructure” and has allowed Hollywood studios to continue filming projects, including in Los Angeles, which is facing the most strict lockdown order. The entertainment industry has been given extensive leeway to operate during the pandemic, even as California now faces a stay-at-home order. One of Kinney’s clients, Netflix, has been allowed to continue to operate during the latest round of forced closures that began last week as intensive care hospital capacity has dwindled across the state. Kinney, a veteran political operative, is a lobbyist for a number of interests seeking to shape the rules governing life under the pandemic, including what kind of economic activities are deemed essential in order to stay in business. The dinner controversy was more than just an opulent display of political double standards - it also highlighted the backroom efforts to maintain special treatment during the pandemic. The Democratic governor was spotted at the French Laundry, an exclusive restaurant north of San Francisco, where he was celebrating the birthday of longtime friend Jason Kinney. Gavin Newsom was caught violating his own warnings against multiple households dining together indoors.
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