Film shoots are upsetting downtowners

Now that downtown has added a few thousand more residents to the mix, film companies don't have the place to themselves anymore - and that's causing complaints about noise, lack of parking and clogged streets. A recent Verizon shoot in which a helicopter buzzed over the Historic Core area at midnight appears to have put folks over the edge, according to the Downtown News:

The latest round of anger began last month, when Green, owner of Bert Green Fine Art at Fifth and Main streets, said he saw his parking disappear. "For the last 10 days there has been no parking allowed around my shop," Green said. "I see an appreciable difference in the number of people coming in and it's affecting my bottom line." Green posted a comment on a Downtown online community forum page, and numerous neighbors chimed in with horror stories of floodlights shining through windows, 3 a.m. wrap parties and rude production crews.

There's talk about more restrictions on filming, which will probably cause location scouts to search for alternatives. Right now, downtown sees more filming action than anywhere else in Los Angeles County; in 2006, 2,235 filming permits were issued.