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City Eyes Simplifying Filming Guidelines in Pasadena

Planning and Community Development Department looking at consolidating several types of filming areas

Published on Wednesday, June 5, 2024 | 5:24 am
 

Pasadena City Council’s Legislative Policy Committee is looking at simplifying the film permitting process in the city.

The city’s first filming ordinance, which introduced procedures and regulations for film permitting, was created in 1985.

In later years, the City Council established additional guidelines for areas that may generate more filming activity.

Under these guidelines, the city’s film commissioner may establish Frequently Filmed Areas (FFA), provided that the area meets the criteria of having a high level of film activity, and special filming districts (SFD), which are neighborhood-initiated and may establish customized guidelines.

To date, the city has 12 FFAs in residential neighborhoods, with the most recent one designated in 2000, and four SFDs. One of the filming districts is the South San Rafael SFD, which contains 46 properties. It was established by the City Council in 1992 due to increased film activity in the area.

Another form of filming neighborhoods is Block Agreements. These are for areas that do not meet the minimum criteria to be an FFA. The Film Commissioner has approved five Block Agreements since 2000: Johnston Lake, Madison 1, Madison 2, Ninita, and Elizabeth.

Planning and Community Development Director Jennifer Paige explained that while the establishment of FFAs and SFDs stemmed from City Council resolutions, the film commissioner initiated the creation of block agreements.

“It’s a little bit of patchwork of regulation,” Councilmember Steve Madison remarked. “Frequently, the government makes decisions that are tailored to the needs of particular situations. So I don’t have an opinion about it, but it does seem odd that we have an overarching policy.”

Paige said City staff is considering simplifying the regulations and will present some recommendations to the committee at a future meeting.

“I would say patchwork is a good description of how things have evolved over time and so on,” said Paige. “[In] our recommendations, we’re looking at who has the authority to do what and past practice versus what’s the actual authority and then is there a way that we can simplify this? So that’s a little bit easier for staff to implement this for the public to understand.”

Aside from clarifying the role of the film commissioner and the possibility of removing block agreements entirely, City staff is also looking at consolidating FFAs and SFDs into one type of filming area.

Currently, properties in FFAs and SFDs must comply with stricter signature requirements and street parking limitations compared to the rest of Pasadena, Cultural Affairs Division Manager and Film Commissioner Rochelle Branch said.

Under the city’s general filming guidelines, filming between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. doesn’t require residents’ signatures. Filming between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. requires signatures from 51% of property owners within 300 feet.

Filming before 7 a.m. and after 10 p.m. from Sunday to Friday, requires signatures from 75% of property owners within 300 feet, while filming before 7 a.m. and after 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday requires signatures from 90% of property owners within 300 feet.

Filming before 7 a.m. and after 10 p.m. in FFAs and SFDs requires signatures of 100% of properties within 300 feet.

It is a lot stricter for South San Rafael SFD.

At the said SFD, filming between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. requires the signatures of 51% of adjacent properties.

Filming between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. requires 75% signatures from adjacent properties and filming before 7 a.m. and after 10 p.m. requires signatures from 100% of adjacent properties.

“I really do encourage you to simplify the code,” said a public commenter named Jacqueline. “I happen to know from experience that film professionals avoid filming in Pasadena unless they absolutely can’t find any place else to go. And the reason is it’s just really complicated to get a permit in Pasadena. It’s onerous.”

The public commenter alleged that people on South San Rafael SFD is extorting money from the film companies because they know that in order to film there, they have to get signatures.

“There are some people there that make a lot of money off of film companies for their signature. And I think that’s criminal.”

While the number of filming permits issued in the city remains high, it has not fully recovered since COVID-19 pandemic and recent Hollywood labor disputes, according to Branch.

The film office has issued 466 permits in 2019, 183 permits in 2020, 242 permits in 2021, 288 permits in 2022, 202 permits in 2023 and 97 permits this year, as of May 2024.

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