Drama divides Sacramento film community, some call for commissioner to resign
SACRAMENTO — The spotlight is on Sacramento's growing divide among the local film community with dozens gathering outside city hall Tuesday calling for the city's film and media commissioner to resign.
Nick Leisure was among those calling for Jennifer West to resign, saying production companies are choosing elsewhere to film under her leadership.
"My biggest thing is I just want to bring some filmmakers to Sacramento to keep shooting my films here in Sacramento," Leisure said.
The focus is also on efforts to bring a major film studio campus to Cal Expo. Supporters say the project would bring thousands of construction jobs along with high-wage film and tech positions. Suzanne Fox, the project's consultant, says West has not tried to sit down to talk about specifics on the potential campus.
"She is making it difficult for us to make local stories by local filmmakers here in Sacramento," Fox said.
The group also cites a 2021 investigation into West's handling of issuing permits. We reached out to the Film and Media Office for comments on the allegations. They sent us this statement:
"The City of Sacramento does not comment on personnel matters. However, it's worth noting that the Sacramento Film + Media office provides essential services to those interested in filming in the Sacramento area. The office works to leverage regional location assets, strengthen local crews, assist local filmmakers and attract out-of-town productions.
Sacramento Film + Media carries out film permitting and provides location assistance, production information, ordinance and regulatory information, internships and grant opportunities.
Two film permits have already been issued in 2024. Even with union strikes in the film industry, the Film Office issued 73 permits in 2023 for 161 days of filming. This resulted in 411 local hires, 836 hotel nights and had a direct economic impact of over $2 million.
The office manages a grant program, which launched in 2021; it sustains and fosters growth in film and television production in the city of Sacramento. To date, the program has allocated more than $135,000 for 20 grants to support locally shot productions. The most recent round of grants closed applications Jan. 15.
Sacramento Film + Media is also currently working to bring more filming to the region by creating a $250,000 film and media rebate program for large independent films, commercials and television projects.
Nevertheless, there is always opportunity for improvement, and we will continue to engage the community to ensure that we are serving it in the best way possible."
The group protesting outside city hall made their demands for a resignation at Tuesday's city council meeting. Other local filmmakers joined the gathering as a sort of counter-protest, voicing their support for West's leadership, including JJ La Britt.
"I am just here to support Sacramento film and I know that Jennifer West is great for filmmaking in Sacramento," La Britt said.
There has been a push recently to invest in bringing more major productions to the Sacramento region, including a grant program to support local independent filmmakers.