ATLANTA — With Georgia's film and television industry booming over the past decade, California's governor is pressuring the Hollywood of the South to return home.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke out to Hollywood executives in a letter posted to Twitter on Wednesday, saying that states like Georgia have legislatures that have waged "a cruel assault on essential rights."
This comes just days after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced a record-breaking year for the film and television industry in the state. His office said productions spent $4.4 billion in Georgia in the last fiscal year, up from the previous record of $4 billion in revenue the state saw in 2021.
In the wake of Georgia restricting access to abortion following the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in June, Newsom cited the state as "carrying out these attacks brazenly and with the intent to cause pain in the communities they target."
Georgia's controversial abortion law that took effect in late July considers a fetus to be a person when a heartbeat is typically detected, which usually happens around six weeks into the pregnancy.
Newsom labeled California as a "freedom state. Freedom to tell your stories. Freedom to access the health services you need, including abortion care."
He expressed his desire that decision makers return to California, where the governor endorsed legislation that will extend California's film and television tax credit program through 2030, according to Variety.
Newsom closed his letter by calling on these decision makers to "walk the walk" and "choose California."