Diversity in the film industry has been a topic of heavy discussion recently, with many feeling that minorities have not been receiving their fair share of representation on screen since Hollywood’s inception. California, in particular, is a perfect example of hiring practices not reflecting the diverse demographics of its population.

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While the most recent census puts California’s population at 40% Latino, 35% white, 16% Asian American, and 6.5% Black, the California Film Commission reported that the state’s television and film workforce was 70% white, 17% Latino, 7% Black, and 4% Asian American. The CFC also noted that there was a great gender disparity in these workplaces, with 75% of the jobs being held by men, and 25% of the jobs being held by women. On August 17, Wednesday night, state legislators amended a bill, SB 485, to include provisions that require that productions receiving the credit must be “broadly reflective of California’s population, in terms of race, ethnicity, and gender.”

Governor Gavin Newsom is expected to sign the bill, which will also extend the tax credit out to 2030. Newsom had previously signed a provision last year, which increased the tax credit to $420 million for the fiscal years ending in 2022 and 2023. Legislators hope that this program will make productions reflective of real-life demographics. Executives have been attempting to include more diversity in their programming as of late, and this move will likely incentivize them further. However, the state’s lawmakers must also work around Proposition 209, the 1996 initiative that amended the California constitution to ban affirmative action in state hiring, school admissions, and state contracting.

The move will likely court some sense of controversy, as initiatives for diversity usually do. There’s been some vocal pushback against movements to include representation in film and television. Some high-profile productions, including Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and House of the Dragon, have faced backlash on social media for casting non-white actors in key roles.

However, for a state as diverse as California, the fact that production demographics are so skewed away from the reality of the population is alarming. The industry is famously insular, so incentivizing adding new talents into the fold may be a good move on multiple fronts.

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Source: Variety