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Public commenter urges city to honor film-production pay commitments, warns of short-term pension impact
Summary
During the meeting's public-comment period, Abraham Murillo urged the council to keep negotiated pay and incentives for film production workers, saying permit incentives may reduce short-term revenue and affect the pension fund but could spur long-term growth if adopted.
Abraham Murillo, a public commenter, urged the council during the meeting's public-comment period to uphold negotiated pay and incentive terms for workers tied to film production and to consider the short- and long-term fiscal effects of incentives.
Murillo said the city entered negotiations with information about industry pay and negotiated "a sueldo comparable con otras ciudades," and that people performing this work "tienen que ser tratados" and should receive pay comparable to their industry. He told the council that comparable monitors (identified in the comments as “COMID”) are earning "un dólar 82 más que nosotros," citing a wage gap in the study of comparables.
Murillo also discussed city revenue and pension implications. He said the dollar figure tied to film-permit revenue has fallen "más de 400000 desde el 2022" and that the current rate of about $500,000 "está apenas cubriendo el costo." He warned that incentives or rate reductions could cause a short-term revenue decline that would hit pension and payroll funds, but argued such short-term cuts might attract more productions and generate greater long-term activity and revenue: "en el plazo largo, con los incentivos ... van a haber más aumentos por filmaciones porque eso genera más ganancias." He recommended considering temporary reductions and other incentives to bring productions back.
Council members asked clarifying questions about the pension impact and the figures Murillo cited. The council then moved to "anotar y archivar" the staff report that had informed the discussion and to request a follow-up report. Council Member Jurado and Council Member Hernández registered affirmative votes during the roll call recorded in the transcript.
The transcript also included brief references to a library board report and communications from the mayor, but those items were listed separately on the agenda and were not discussed in detail during this public-comment exchange.
Murillo's remarks combined concerns about worker pay, competitive positioning to attract film shoots, and short-term fiscal tradeoffs for possible long-term gains. The council directed staff to note and file the report and to return with follow-up information for further consideration.
