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Life & Times Transcript
12/11/06 Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times -- Television and film production can delay traffic, annoy neighbors and disrupt business, but can we afford to lose it? Veronique Vowell>> There are a lot of people on every television show who pay their taxes, who pay their mortgage, who put their children in school, who shop in their local areas, also who shop in the areas where we're filming on location. Val Zavala>> And then, she needed a way to stay in touch with an old friend and she got some help from this little guy. It's all straight ahead on tonight's Life and Times. Announcer>> Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Val Zavala>> We've all heard about the filming of the new Bruce Willis mega picture that closed down parts of a freeway near LAX. Now most of us in southern California are used to the inconveniences that come along with being the movie production capital of the world. But can we still lay claim to that title? Paul Vercammen has our story. Paul Vercammen>> If you want to know how well the television and film production business is faring in southern California, the first question you have to ask is, "Are we talking television shows or feature films?" Let's start with the television production business in the Los Angeles area. It's up a healthy six and a half percent year to date from last year. Crews have shot fifteen thousand, three hundred forty-three permitted days on television projects. So to bustling downtown Los Angeles, there are three separate television shows shooting a few miles from each other, the new Fox show, "Justice", "The Ghost Whisperer" and "Cold Case". One-hour television dramas are in vogue right now, good news for the two hundred forty-three thousand Californians who work on television and film production. Television dramas require larger crews than sitcoms and most reality programs. Veronique Vowell, recently named the Location Professional of the Year by her peers, says there's about eighty to one hundred people working on her "Cold Case" set every day. Veronique Vowell>> There are a lot of people on every television show who pay their taxes, who pay their mortgage, who put their children in school, who shop in their local areas, also who shop in the areas where we're filming on location. Paul Vercammen>> At the nearby strip mall, they sold more sandwiches and teriyaki with "Cold Case" filming across the street. Veronique Vowell>> We're middle-class, middle-America workers. I mean, there are grips and drivers and the makeup and hair people, props, camera, the location department. You know, it's people who don't have the most glamorous jobs, but we have jobs that we love, that we're passionate about, and we want to keep as much filming here for ourselves and for our families. Paul Vercammen>> And these are family tree-lined sets. Veronique Vowell>> Many people on this crew are multi-generational. Their fathers were grips, their uncles were grips, they are grips. Camera department, the same thing. I'm second generation television myself. My father was a writer in television shows in the 1970s. Paul Vercammen>> Let's cut to feature film production where the picture is not as bright in southern California. Movie shoots are down here, one percent year to date. They've filmed six thousand seven hundred fifty-five permitted days so far this year, but feature film production is off almost a third from its peak ten years ago. Steve MacDonald>> From 1996 for seven consecutive years, the amount of feature film production went down year after year after year. It kept going down for seven years. We had a little uptick in 2004 and a slight uptick in 2005 and now our numbers year to date for calendar year 2006 feature film production is down. [Film Clip] Paul Vercammen>> "The Black Dahlia" was set in Los Angeles, but it's not all hooray for Hollywood. Try "Bulgaria". Much of the movie was shot in the Eastern European nation. [Film Clip] Paul Vercammen>> And how about the mysterious death of television Superman, George Reeves? They filmed much of "Hollywoodland" in Toronto. Steve MacDonald>> It does bother me and it should bother people here in Los Angeles. I mean, this is something that we shouldn't just let this industry slip through our fingers. In both of those cases, there was a small amount of filming that was done for both of those in Los Angeles, but not nearly the amount that I think people would like to have had done here. Paul Vercammen>> The Golden State is battling major tax breaks from dozens of countries and thirty U.S. states led by -- Steve MacDonald>> New Mexico, which just in the last four or five years and no coincidence that it's in the same time period since they put in place their incentive, they've grown dramatically. Louisiana, even with the problems with Katrina, they still continue to grow their film production. New York has been very successful. New York has a state incentive and the city actually has an incentive on top of that. Paul Vercammen>> So why are so many countries and other U.S. states fighting so hard to land major film projects in their back yard? It's because of the tremendous economic ripple effect brought on by these shoots. Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation research shows a mid-budget seventeen million dollar film generates $1.2 million dollars in state income and sales tax and creates more than three hundred jobs. >> "Everybody pull back over there, please. We're going to get a rehearsal." Paul Vercammen>> But is it all worth it? Stage the new Bruce Willis movie shooting near Los Angeles International Airport. Local and state agencies granted permission for "Live Free or Die Hard" crews to close down parts of the 105 Freeway and other roads. Some media outfits screamed that government officials sold their soul to the movie production devil by permitting the filming. They predicted a traffic nightmare. The city of El Segundo on the border of the "Die Hard" shoot helped set up traffic detours. And when we last checked, no bad dreams, at least not yet. Kelly McDowell>> You know, the last two days have kind of seen us beaten to death in terms of the story. You know, how much mileage can you get out of a traffic detour? Paul Vercammen>> El Segundo officials are as equipped to deal with production shoots as perhaps any small city in southern California. El Segundo is a production magnet because it can stand in for Anywheresville, USA with its quaint main street and picture postcard high school. Any shoot here raises money for the entire five-school district. Kelly McDowell>> Our filming days are way up over the last two years, mostly for television production, some features as well. Again, the high school continues to attract attention. Paul Vercammen>> El Segundo officials are now reviewing their production permit process as the city heads for a record of more than one hundred days of filming this year. Kelly McDowell>> We haven't looked at it in about seven years and it's time to check not just the rules of operation and the hours of operation, but our fee schedule, our cost schedule, meet with location managers and production companies and, of course, the general public as well. Paul Vercammen>> So rewind. Feature film production in southern California is off slightly from last year and way down from its peak and, by the way, production for commercials is also down seven percent year to date. >> "Quiet, please, and action." Paul Vercammen>> The shining star, television production, up a healthy six percent. Many leaders of our television and film industry think California needs some sort of incentive. Some think a tax break will prevent against all those countries and states trying to snag television and film productions and it will also guard against the shift in viewing habits. Steve MacDonald>> It's trouble there. The cautionary note that I say is that, with television production, trends can change, consumer tastes can change, and that can change the type of shows that are out, and that can have an impact on location production. Veronique Vowell>> None of us are contracted workers. We're all here, you know, per series and, if a show goes for five years, terrific. If it goes for thirteen episodes, so be it. So I think we're a very adaptable group of people. Paul Vercammen>> And so for the television production workers in southern California, they stay prepared and just hope the shows go on. Paul Vercammen for Life and Times. Announcer>> Kcet.org is the place to look for the very latest on Life and Times. You'll find previews of upcoming stories, plus transcripts and audio of past episodes and links to some of our most interesting features. Just go to kcet.org, scroll down the page and click on "Life and Times". Val Zavala>> President Bush signed a bill that would build a seven hundred mile fence along our southern border. But the questions remain. Will it actually be built and will it work? We put these questions to three people gathered around the kitchen table. Ira Mehlman of the conservative immigration group, F.A.I.R.; Henrik Rehbinder, editorial editor of La Opinion newspaper; and Joe Hicks from CommUnity Advocates. Our segment, The Kitchen Table, is funded by Ralph Tornberg. Joe Hicks>> President Bush just signed this bill authorizing the construction of a seven hundred mile long wall along our southern border. The question is, is it actually going to work? Is it going to keep anybody out? Is it the right thing to do? What do you guys think? Ira Mehlman>> Well, let's start with the fact that it's an authorization, not an appropriation. The money still has to be appropriated by Congress. It was questionable even before the election when the Republican Congress was asked to come up with the money. It's probably even more questionable now with the Democrats in control. Joe Hicks>> You know, the look on his face meant that he wasn't really thrilled about it anyway. Ira Mehlman>> Yeah. It was a campaign ploy. He thought it would play well with the voters. But, you know, let's get to the substance of the fence itself. A fence can be effective partially, but it has to come along with other measures. There has to be real deterrents to people not crossing the border. Henrik Rehbinder>> This fence, this is a medieval kind of strategy for immigration because people are going to run away to different -- Joe Hicks>> -- but can we look at Israel, for instance? Henrik Rehbinder>> By itself, it won't do anything. Joe Hicks>> What about the wall that Israel built? It seems to be quite effective. Obviously, there are different issues there, but the wall is certainly effective in keeping out -- certainly it didn't keep everybody out, but it certainly brought down remarkably the level of carnage and folks bringing in bombs and whatnot. Henrik Rehbinder>> In this case, you have to build a fence almost to the border. Ira Mehlman>> But you have to start someplace, don't you? Henrik Rehbinder>> We have to understand this. The United States can do anything on the border. If you want to put a mine field on this side, it can be done. Joe Hicks>> But I think we all agree that just building a wall by itself is not going to do it. What are the other kinds of things we need to accompany the building of a wall to make it practical? Ira Mehlman>> Well, it comes back to when President Reagan signed a bill twenty years ago. It was supposed to be accompanied by some kind of verifiable work authorization document that could be verified the same way your card credit is verified that allows employers to know instantly whether somebody they're hiring is legally entitled to hold a job. Then you start going after the employers. You get enough of them. You enforce this law the same way you enforce every other law. You know, all of us have been in situations where we're cruising along at eighty miles an hour on the highway. We see the Highway Patrol pull somebody else over for speeding -- Joe Hicks>> -- hey, don't remind me (laughter). Ira Mehlman>> We take our foot off the gas. You do the same thing with the employers. You go after enough of them. Make it clear that there's a chance they're going to get caught and, if they do get caught, it's going to hurt. But if you start forcing laws in a rational way, people will get the idea there's no point in sticking around and the numbers will begin to dwindle. Henrik Rehbinder>> There are so many things I could say right now. Joe Hicks>> You just said that, in essence, what we're doing is importing immigration and that poverty that comes here is affecting our economic picture because many of the uninsured folks are illegal immigrants on and on. So what's your response to the notion that it's affecting our economic picture? Henrik Rehbinder>> One is the low wage. This is certainly an impact. The fact that we have a low wage is not just because of immigration. I think that it's more related to Congress that has not passed a minimum wage for many, many years. When we talk about the impact that you said is negative, for example, in California to have the illegal immigrants in jail or something, the problem is that the federal government does not pay what they should pay California. Ira Mehlman>> We're talking about families that have incomes of twenty-five or thirty thousand dollars a year. You know, even if they are paying federal taxes and it's not coming back to California in the amount that it should, you can only pay so much taxes on a low income. You know, just look at your tax tables. People earning low wages pay very little in taxes. Not their fault, but it's simply a reality. Yet they need a whole lot of human services. In terms of expansion of the economy, what happens is the economy adjusts to take advantage of the labor that is present. It doesn't mean it's necessary. You know, you look at the proliferation of gardening companies. In the old days, you'd send your kid out to the back yard to mow the lawn. Now you hire somebody and expect that person to support their family on that. Really what you're doing is you're paying the gardener out of one pocket and then, out of another pocket, you're paying for all the social services that person's family uses. If you start adding it up, how much did it really cost you to get your lawn mowed? It doesn't make sense. Henrik Rehbinder>> But are you counting the seven billion dollars that count for social security every year and they're not going to be collected? Ira Mehlman>> But that's what California pays to educate the children. Henrik Rehbinder>> Well, this whole border thing, they estimate the cost of like ten billion or something a year. We're seven billion paid by social security only. Then we have all the economics because you say, yeah, income tax is not high. But these people are purchasing things and they're paying taxes for all the sales. Joe Hicks>> Let me interject something else here. We actually had a pretty big sea change politically take place, you know, recently, shall I say. So what's going to happen here in the short term, or frankly, the long term, with this new political sea change? Ira Mehlman>> You know, obviously, this is all just happening. But it's interesting. I can't think of a single new member from the Democratic party that was running on a platform of amnesty and guest workers. Henrik Rehbinder>> I think that Bush would love to do this because that would be his legacy, you know, at least of having immigration reform. But what I was struck by is that I'd rather use the word amnesty. I don't know if you are talking the same thing because amnesty has never been talked about in any bill. Ira Mehlman>> They've used all sorts of euphemisms, but in effect -- Henrik Rehbinder>> -- no, no. It's not amnesty. Let me continue. Amnesty is what President Bush -- well, for example, Bush's father. He amnestied Casper Weinberg when he was convicted and, without any conditions, he was forgiven. In this case, what the Senate was proposing were fines, were conditions, prerequisites. This is not an amnesty. This is the American way. Ira Mehlman>> You can buy your way out of compliance with the law? Do you think that's the American way? Maybe it is. Henrik Rehbinder>> Well, you don't see in court that people make deals for less fines and actually make deals for less amount of punishment? This is the American way. You make a deal. When you have a case that is very hard to prosecute, you make deals. Joe Hicks>> Whether or not it's called amnesty or guest worker -- Henrik Rehbinder>> -- it's very important into the base because it gives the idea that the twelve million or ten million or whatever that are here suddenly are going to open the door and everybody is going to run there. It didn't happen in 1986 because there were restrictions of dates. There were restrictions of certain things. Ira Mehlman>> Somebody is going to require that you bring some kind of piece of paper, you know, rent receipts that you were here by whatever date. You know, this is going to be a boon for anybody who's in the document forging business. We talk about maybe twelve million people living illegally in this country. I guarantee you that, if they were ever to pass something like this, you'd probably find twenty or twenty-five million people. Joe Hicks>> We're up against a little time frame here. We got to wrap this up quick. One word: is the wall going to be built? Ira Mehlman>> Maybe (laughter). Joe Hicks>> Is the wall going to be built? Henrik Rehbinder>> I don't think so. Joe Hicks>> Okay. All right, guys, on that note. I'm not sure we've solved this, but I'm out of coffee, so we got to get out of here. Thanks for coming in. Henrik Rehbinder>> Thank you. It was a pleasure. Ira Mehlman>> Thank you. Val Zavala>> So what do you think? Will a wall work? You can post your opinion on our Blog. Just go to kcet.org and click on the Life and Times Blog. Announcer>> To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us by mail at this address: Life and Times 4401 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90027 You can also call our viewer comment line (323) 953-5555) or contact us the fast way by e-mail at kcet.org. Val Zavala>> You're about to hear an unusual story about how an animal kept a friendship together. The friendship was between two elderly women and the animal was a raccoon. Hena Cuevas has the heartwarming story of Marie, Mabel and Jeff. Hena Cuevas>> Marie De Courcey never thought that at age one hundred she would be a published author. Marie De Courcey>> I've had some letters come to me after the people had gotten the book thanking me very much for writing it, so apparently something for them it had helped them. Hena Cuevas>> Her book, "Letters From Jeff", is a collection of more than two hundred letters she wrote to her best friend, Mabel. So why is the book called "Letters From Jeff"? That takes a little explaining. It all started in 1993 in this trailer park for seniors in Santa Barbara. Marie was eighty-five. Her neighbor and best friend, Mabel, was ninety-five. Marie loved animals, but since she couldn't have any pets, she would leave food out for the raccoons. That's when one unusually friendly one appeared. Marie De Courcey>> And I heard this voice beside me that said, "I like your grub." Grub, I thought. This isn't right. So I looked around and here was this young raccoon and I said, "That's not grub. That's dinner." He never called it grub again. Hena Cuevas>> She named him Jeff. He took up residence under her house and started a raccoon family. Marie would give Mabel daily updates on the growing clan. Marie De Courcey>> So to amuse her, I would tell her what was going on in my back yard, which was plenty. Hena Cuevas>> This went on for about a year. Then in 1994, Mabel became too ill to live alone, so she had to move to New Mexico to be near her son. The move left Mabel heartbroken. Marie De Courcey>> She was upset. She said, "Oh, how will I ever hear about Jeff?" So I opened my big Irish mouth and said, "Jeff will write" and Jeff did. Hena Cuevas>> And so began the weekly exchange of letters from Marie whose creative talents emerged, describing the world through the eyes of a raccoon and a clan that grew to seventeen. Marie De Courcey>> As the family got large, there was his son and his grandson and they all had their families and they were all there, so we had quite a crew. Narrator: "October 13, 1995. Dear Mabel, Marie said there was a notice in the mailbox that the Sheriff was coming and there would be a meeting about security. Marie didn't go because she has her own security system. Of course, she can't mention us because the park management frowns on the residents even speaking to the wildlife." Hena Cuevas>> How the letters became a book starts with a man named Joe Loebman. Joe Loebman>> This is a story about two elderly folks who had a lasting friendship and, as a result of this friendship, Marie, who's a very creative person, was able to write this wonderful piece about her viewpoint about life. Hena Cuevas>> Joe and Marie met when he was working as a taxi driver. He not only drove Marie all over town, but he also proofread her letters. Joe Loebman>> Besides just being a little adventure story about what was happening in the day-to-day lives of the raccoons, there were these wonderful human scenes emerging. Narrator: "September 8, 1995. Dear Mabel, we are all sort of upset seeing our Marie with two black eyes. She said she met up with a bathtub of all things and couldn't do a thing about it. After all, how do you bite a bathtub?" Joe Loebman>> To me, I mean, the letter was Marie's truth again using these letters as a platform for her thoughts, in this case, on aging and the frustrations that come with the aging process. Hena Cuevas>> The letters flew back and forth for more than four years filled with news, gossip, adventures and even a death in the raccoon family. Joe Loebman>> "We put George in a icebox with his blanket around him. Marie, Johnnie, Al and I went up to a nearby hill where the men had dug a deep hole. They lowered the box, filled up the hole and put two boulders on top. Marie placed a little marker which she had made. Then we all held hands while she said the Lord's Prayer because all creatures belong to Him." Mabel was quite a bit older than Marie and sometimes Mabel wasn't feeling very well. Marie, in her gentle way, was wanting to tell Mabel to have faith. Hena Cuevas>> In 1998, Mabel passed away. She was a hundred years old. Marie De Courcey>> I don't know if I ever told you, that night when what's-his-name had called about Mabel's passing, you know, all of a sudden, I felt like I'd lost an arm or a leg. Hena Cuevas>> Once again, Marie used Jeff to express her sorrow with a letter written by another raccoon. Narrator>> "November 16, 1998. Jeff was so upset to hear of Mabel's passing that he couldn't eat his dinner and went off by himself. I finally found him and told him to shape up, that we will all meet again in that world of no goodbyes." Hena Cuevas>> To Joe's surprise, Mabel's son had saved every one of Marie's letters and he sent them all to Joe. Joe Loebman>> With Mabel gone, Marie didn't have a project to work on. It seemed to me that these were such nice stories that maybe we could edit them a bit and make a book because I knew that they were very caring stories and also they were really funny. Hena Cuevas>> After he got the idea for the book, Joe decided to collect all two hundred letters and put them into a manuscript. He then submitted the manuscript to at least thirty publishers. They all sent rejection letters saying, unfortunately, they couldn't figure out how to market it, so Joe decided to publish the book himself. Book illustrator, Janice Blair, volunteered to design it and they put it on the market for twenty dollars apiece. Joe Loebman>> The book came out really nice. It is really lovely. At the same time, as soon as I was done, I sent off to the Library of Congress and got it registered as a work of fiction and then I sent some copies to Marie. Marie De Courcey>> What I like most of all -- I guess anybody who writes -- is that once you publish, you belong to the Library of Congress. I'll tell you, I swelled up and sat up straight after that. That was very nice. Joe Loebman>> People found out about the book and they read it and they loved it and they wanted copies for their grandchildren. I knew that it wasn't just for kids, but the kids would really enjoy it, so the book just took off. Hena Cuevas>> Marie, who just turned a hundred, now lives at the Little Sisters of the Poor Senior Center in San Pedro. As a token of her appreciation, all the proceeds from "Letters From Jeff" are going to the Little Sisters. Marie De Courcey>> Every night, I put my head down and, before I go to sleep, I thank the good Lord and his Mother that I am there. I just feel so lucky. Hena Cuevas>> Since you've printed the first issue, how many books do you figure you've sold so far? Joe Loebman>> Well, between what I've sold and what has been sold now by the Little Sisters, probably a couple of hundred. This is a box that's all they have left down at the Little Sisters. They have to have more printed. Hena Cuevas>> For Marie, one of the hardest parts of moving here was having to leave the raccoon family that was such a part of her life. Marie De Courcey>> It about broke my heart (laughter). It really did. By that time, you know, I'd had them all those years and they had been so much fun. Hena Cuevas>> But now, thanks to Joe, Jeff and Mabel will always be nearby, captured forever inside the pages of a book. I'm Hena Cuevas for Life and Times. Val Zavala>> For more information on "Letters From Jeff", send an email to jtraccoon@yahoo.com. And that's our program. I'm Val Zavala. For everyone at Life and Times, thanks for watching. We'll see you next time. Announcer>> Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Sponsored in part by:  | |
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