The Entertainment Union Coalition — a multi-union alliance dedicated to advocating for members in the entertainment industry on public policy issues in California — officially launched the ‘Keep California Rolling’ campaign on February 27 with a misison to protect, preserve and create jobs in the film and television industry throughout the state.

The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada, represented by AFM Local 47 President Stephanie O’Keefe, has a seat on the board of this important coalition along with the California IATSE Council, Directors Guild of America, LiUNA! Local 724, SAG-AFTRA, Teamsters Local 399, and Writers Guild of America West, collectively representing over 165,000 members who live and work in California’s entertainment industry. 

About Keep California Rolling:

The Entertainment Union Coalition stands with Governor Newsom’s inclusion of an expanded $750 million annual California Film & Television Jobs Program in the 2025-2026 budget.

Unlike other economic incentives, this program is directly tied to the creation of jobs for California workers. It strengthens the economic future of our state and supports a healthy and viable motion picture industry.

For over a century, California has been the heart of the global film and television industry, supporting hundreds of thousands of middle-class workers and fueling a vast network of local businesses, tourism, and economic growth. However, in recent years, increasing competition from other states and countries, compounded by economic downturns, corporate contraction and devastating wildfires, have put California’s entertainment workforce and our staple and lucrative industry at risk.

Expanding California’s Film & Television Jobs Program is essential to ensuring the industry remains a major economic driver and continues to support jobs, businesses, and tourism in the state. Without this investment, California risks losing its status as the global entertainment capital, along with thousands of middle-class jobs and billions in economic benefits.

Why Now?

The California film and television industry is at a crossroads, and the time to act is NOW.

Governor Newsom’s budget proposal is a major step forward, but it’s not a done deal. Expanding the California Film & Television Jobs Program requires legislative approval before the cycle ends this summer. Our focus now is on educating new legislators, budget committee members, and other elected officials to ensure their support. But we can’t do this without YOU.

Taking our message to Sacramento:

Next week, over 100 union and guild workers are heading to Sacramento to urge lawmakers to prioritize jobs at a key budget hearing, followed by a lobby day. (This is an open hearing, and members are welcome to attend. If you plan on attending the hearing on March 4, please email stephanie.okeefe@afm47.org so that we may coordinate.)

This trip will be the first of many to ring the alarm about the dire state of our industry and the impact on our members’ livelihood and countless businesses that rely on its success. We will share updates from the trip and the hearing throughout next week.

How YOU can get involved:

• Check out and share our ‘Keep California Rolling’ campaign website to learn more about our fight: KeepCaliforniaRolling.org
• Read through our ‘California Film & Television Jobs Program Impact Report’ to understand how this program benefits our entire State and countless industries Californians rely on.
• Find your legislators. Over 45% are new to the state legislature within the past three years, making education and advocacy key components of our campaign.
  – Locate WHO your legislator is to be prepared to reach out to them to tell them HOW important entertainment jobs in California are to you and your family. We will be rolling out a toolkit soon.
  – Find your local Assembly and Senate representatives.
• Follow us on social media for updates from next week and to elevate our fight: Facebook | Instagram | X | Bluesky
• Sign and share our pledge (bit.ly/euc-pledge) to get targeted action items about this campaign, and updates to get involved: SIGN HERE

Join us in the fight to save our jobs, stabilize our industry and grow film and television work throughout the state of California.

When our industry thrives, California thrives.