More runaway delusions

This time it's from Pamm Fair, chairwoman of FilmLA, the nonprofit group that works with filmmakers shooting in the L.A. area. "We are talking about 300,000 clean, good-paying jobs that we are losing," Fair told the City Council. Others have thrown around the "300,000" jobs figure, but for the life of me I don't know where it's coming from. Frankly, it makes no sense. From my December piece in Los Angeles magazine:

The entertainment industry had 122,200 payroll jobs in Los Angeles County as of September. That's more than the annual average of 120,000 jobs for the period between 1990 and 2008 (the monthly numbers tend to bounce around the 120,000 to 135,000 range). Those payroll figures do not include the tens of thousands of writers, actors, technicians, and other workers who operate on a contract or freelance basis--nor do they cover the thousands of businesses that service the Industry, from equipment rentals to flower arranging.

Economist Jack Kyser puts the total number of entertainment industry workers in L.A. County at 260,000. That sounds about right, but no one knows for sure. Point is, what's with the 300,000 jobs lost? I'm all for pumping up a cause, but the runaway production issue has been so pumped up that it's ready to float into space. As I told LAT columnist Tim Rutten the other day, tax incentives in other states have resulted in some lost jobs, but Hollywood maintains a massive entertainment infrastructure that cannot be matched elsewhere. The City Council, looking to appease the grumbling of Hollywood craftspeople, is preparing to create a film commission that would streamline permits and other bureaucratic hassles. It's not a bad idea, but at a time when there are so many more important matters to consider - a $400 million budget deficit for openers - isn't this a case of much ado about not all that much?