Santa Monica is looking to step out of the shadow of Los Angeles in how it deals with producers looking to shoot features, television shows or commercials in the city.

The westside municipality is establishing its own office to operate a film permitting system and serve as a liaison between productions planning shoot days in its neighborhoods, oceanfront vistas or its tourist-packed beachfront pier.

As part of that new effort, FilmLA, the nonprofit office that oversees film permitting in greater Los Angeles, says it will cease issuing new permits in the city of Santa Monica as of August 31. In the beginning of September, a new office, Film Santa Monica, will be operational and start issuing its own permits. The new film effort is part of the Santa Monica Travel Tourism Office. We extend our sincere gratitude to FilmLA for their many years of dedication and support in advancing filming and production throughout our city. Their contributions have been invaluable, the City of Santa Monica wrote in a statement given to FilmLA. As we look to the future, were excited to welcome Film Santa Monica onboard to serve as the central hub for marketing and permitting commercial filming in the city.

On June 20, L.A.s Board of Public Works voted to give a new five-year contract to FilmLA to continue to operate as the citys film office through June 2030. Those duties include issuing permits, coordinating shoots to make sure theyre in accordance with city ordinances (and deal with issues that arise from neighbors to those shoots) and market the city as a filming destination for features, television, commercials and photography.

The new contract arrives amid a renewed effort by local organizations, activists and producers to encourage major studios to keep their productions shooting in greater Los Angeles as more projects seek tax credits and streamlined permitting in other locations across the country. FilmLA stated that it had coordinated 7,000 permits in Santa Monica since 2013.

Total shoot days in Los Angeles in the second quarter of this year continued on a downward trend, falling 32 percent against a five-year average and 6 percent from the same quarter last year, FilmLA reported in its quarterly report issued on July 22. (Its not just L.A., California as a whole saw filming in the state decline 6 percent and spending fall 10 percent in the first half of the year to a total of $2.78 billion in production spending, per a report from intelligence provider ProdPro.)

Those declining numbers have sparked initiatives like Stay in L.A. to encourage the city to pursue efficiencies to help filmmakers more easily shoot at locations. Mayor Karen Bass office has also pledged to make moves to reduce red tape for film and TV projects in L.A. amid multiple criticisms about the difficulties and expenses of planning shoots.