California gubernatorial candidates Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton met in Burbank for a CNN debate and found rare common ground: both agreed the state needs tax incentives to keep or lure film and TV production back to Hollywood. But they split hard on who let the jobs leave in the first place.
"We've lost some 50,000 jobs in Los Angeles and California from the film and movie industry, these are middle class jobs," Becerra said. "I'm not talking about the high paid actors. I'm talking about the grips, the camera people, the people who build the sets." His rule, he said, is simple: "If we give a tax credit, so long as we get more than $1 back for that dollar in tax credit, we're going to do it because Hollywood belongs here."
Hilton shot back with "Who's been in charge when all those jobs have gone?" and blamed 16 years of Democratic rule, pitching a plan to make California competitive with the best in the world while cutting red tape. Becerra countered that he helped enact the first federal film tax credit while in Congress, telling Hilton, "I was there 20 years ago when you weren't even in California."
Key facts:
- Both candidates back production tax incentives, but offered few specifics
- Becerra cites roughly 50,000 lost film industry jobs in California
- Becerra is the former HHS secretary and former California AG; Hilton is a former Fox News host
Why this matters: For once, both sides of the aisle agree on the headline: production incentives work and California is losing the fight without them. The 50,000 jobs Becerra cites aren't actors, they're the crew members who make this town run. Whoever wins in November, the next governor's first real test with Hollywood will be whether the talk about bringing production home turns into competitive credits or just more debate-stage sparring.