Yes on Prop. 21 Gets the Hollywood Treatment - Secures Support of Strong Coalition of Entertainment Industry Groups

SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The campaign supporting Prop. 21,the Nov. 2 ballot measure that will provide a stable and adequate funding source for state parks and beaches, has announced growing support from the entertainment industry due to the importance of state parks and beaches in halting runaway film production.

Prop. 21 has received endorsements from film commissions stretching across the entire state, including the San Diego Film Commission, Sacramento Film Commission, Santa Cruz County Film Commission, Monterey County Film Commission, Mendocino County Film Office, Santa Barbara Film Commission and the Humboldt Film Commission. The film commissions are part of a growing list of entertainment industry groups supporting Prop. 21, which includes the Location Managers Guild of America.

"State parks are essential locations for film production and the jobs they create in California," said Cathy Anderson, San Diego Film Commission CEO. "Prop. 21 provides dedicated funding for state parks and beaches that is essential to stopping runaway film production. From electricians and truck drivers, to grips and caterers, Prop. 21 helps ensure that the entire spectrum of jobs created by film production stay in California."

According to a recent study by The Milken Institute, California has lost 36,000 jobs because of film and television productions leaving California for other locations. In 2009, more than 900 permits were granted for nearly 2,000 days of filming in California's state parks and beaches. Ranking as the most popular state-owned site for filming, state parks provide valuable locations that help keep the $57-billion U.S. film production industry, and the jobs it creates, from leaving California.

Chronic underfunding is starving state parks and has caused them to accumulate a $1.3 billion backlog in needed maintenance and repairs. Last year, nearly 150 state parks were shut down part-time or suffered deep service reductions because of budget cuts, and more park closure proposals and budget cuts are expected this year. Thousands of acres are closed to the public because of reductions in park rangers, and crime has nearly tripled. Destruction and vandalism of the parks themselves has grown fourfold, and beachgoers are often unprotected because of decreases in lifeguards.

Prop. 21 will provide California vehicles with free, year-round day-use access to state parks and beaches, in exchange for a new $18 surcharge. This new surcharge will be assessed as part of California's annual vehicle registration. Funds from the surcharge will be placed in a trust fund dedicated specifically to state parks and wildlife conservation, which cannot legally be used for other purposes.

The entertainment industry is one sector of a wide-ranging coalition of interests supporting Prop. 21. Other supporters include the California Travel Industry Association, The Nature Conservancy, California Teachers Association, California State Lifeguard Association, California State Park Rangers Association, California State Parks Foundation, National Wildlife Federation, California Action for Healthy Kids and Surfrider Foundation. For a full list of supporters, please click here.

For more information on Prop. 21, please visit www.YesForStateParks.com or www.facebook.com/YesForStateParks.

SOURCE Yes on 21; Californians for State Parks and Wildlife Conservation