Mike Schur Campaigns for Nithya Raman in LA Fight

Mike Schur joined fellow actors, writers, and producers to endorse Councilmember Nithya Raman at CBS’s Radford Studios, arguing Los Angeles is losing productions to other states. Raman outlined a three-point plan to revive film production, while supporters des

Mike Schur stepped up in front of CBS’s Radford Studios with fellow actors, writers, and producers behind him, and made the case that Los Angeles can’t afford to keep losing Hollywood.

Schur. the co-creator of “Parks and Recreation. ” introduced Councilmember Nithya Raman during a Friday event. saying electing her is the “best chance to keep Hollywood.” He pointed to what other states do to attract productions—offering incentives. streamlining permitting. eliminating location fees. and trying to pull TV and film work out of Los Angeles. “which is its rightful home.”.

Schur’s argument was blunt about how business decisions get made: “And the companies that make TV and movies take the path of least and most inexpensive resistance.” He added that if L.A. loses Hollywood. “we lose a huge chunk of the middle class that helped build this city and make it what it has been for the last 100 years.”.

He also took a jab at mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, saying the way to keep film and television in L.A. was not to “cast a vote for a reality show Ding Dong, whose next good decision will be his first.”

Raman followed by laying out a three-point plan aimed at bringing production back to the city if she is elected mayor. She said she would work with the state to support an uncapped film tax credit program. create a “real film office” at the city level staffed with industry professionals. and coordinate with the county and the state to resolve issues around productions that cross jurisdictional lines.

She framed the film office as something more than a symbolic stopgap. Raman responded that her office would staff “people with deep industry experience” who “know the difference between a location manager and a line producer” and “people who will pick up the phone when a production calls.”

At the heart of her pitch was the economic and family stability she says Hollywood jobs provide. “At its peak, this was a $30 billion industry, supporting 200,000 jobs across L.A. County,” she said. “We must ensure that Hollywood remains a reliable on-ramp into the middle class for Angelenos — union wage with health insurance and a pension — an income that allows you to buy or rent a good house and put your kids through school. We must protect that before it slips further away.”.

Another speaker, Noelle Stehman, co-founder of Stay in LA, emphasized the urgency of getting filming to feel workable on the ground. “It should be the cheapest, cheapest and easiest place to film,” she said. “In fact, it is the most cumbersome and most expensive. That cannot continue.”

Stehman warned that delay would only make things worse, telling the crowd, “If we don’t do something quickly, this is going to become the next Detroit …We can’t wait until the problem shows up. We have to be proactive.”

Schur returned to that theme near the end, saying, “I love this city. I want to live here, and I want to work here.” He added, “My best chance, our best chance, to keep Hollywood the center of the entertainment universe is to do everything we can to elect Nithya Raman the next mayor of Los Angeles.”

Support for Raman brought multiple corners of the entertainment world to Studio City. Those who backed her on-site included Rachel Bloom, Harper Steele, Kay Cannon, Guy Branum, Gilly Barnes, Sanjay Sharma, Cord Jefferson, Nico Santos, and Zeke Smith.

Mike Schur Nithya Raman LA mayoral election Hollywood Parks and Recreation CBS Radford Studios film tax credit film office union jobs Stay in LA Noelle Stehman Spencer Pratt Rachel Bloom Kay Cannon