After all the grandstanding about the Baywatch reboot filming in Venice Beach, the production has been bullied out of Venice after a few days of shooting.
It's been reported that LA County Lifeguards, FilmLA, and the Department of Beaches & Harbors have made is too difficult, almost impossible to continue shooting in Venice. The show has moved production other beaches such as Redondo Beach and Santa Monica.
Ealrlier this week, a Baywatch insider posted this in a discussion:
"When people say production is leaving Los Angeles, it's not just about tax incentives, cheaper labor, avoiding healthcare and pension costs, or skirting SAG contracts by hiring mostly non-union actors. Those are factors, yes-but Los Angeles itself has become part of the problem.
Despite what Gavin Newsom or Karen Bass say publicly about being film-friendly, the departments that operate under and alongside them -like FilmLA-often feel more like obstacles than support.
Baywatch was initially planning to shoot in Australia. When that became known, Newsom recognized the optics of losing such an iconic project and pushed for a special rebate to keep it in California. Unfortunately, the budget was never truly adjusted to reflect the realities of shooting in LA, which meant an extremely tight pre-production.
To make it work, every department pulled together. Vendors gave discounts, department heads waived rental fees while still providing equipment, and the entire crew was motivated to prove that episodic television can still be produced in Los Angeles. That said, at one point, a FOX executive reportedly told a producer, "You're trying to prove you can shoot episodic TV in LA-I'm here to prove you wrong."
So it's not just that LA is expensive-it's that studios have grown accustomed to paying less elsewhere and no longer want to absorb the cost of staying here.
But the real challenge hasn't just been budgets -it's been the city itself.
The plan was to shoot in Venice Beach. Millions were spent building a headquarters at the lifeguard station by the pier, fully up to code so it could remain for community use after production. Everything was approved
- until just days before filming.
Then came the restrictions. New rules. Limitations from lifeguards.
Additional constraints from Beach and Harbors. Suddenly, everything was "no": no nighttime shooting, no picture vehicles, strict red zones limiting where we could operate.
We managed to shoot days 2 through 4 in Venice, but then came the backlash. We were told we weren't wanted back. Beach and Harbors shut us down. Lifeguards said we were too disruptive-even though the crew remained respectful throughout.
The reasons given could fill pages, but the takeaway is simple: while leadership claims California is film-friendly, the reality on the ground often says otherwise. City departments frequently deny requests or create costly barriers.
We'll shoot two more days before going on a brief hiatus over Easter to regroup and find new locations-possibly Santa Monica, more likely Leo Carrillo State Park.
At this point, we can only return to Venice to film at the headquarters we built-no beach work allowed.
That's the reality we're dealing with.
Los Angeles is not film friendly."
A spokesperson for LA Mayor Karen Bass made a statement, “Our Office has championed bringing Baywatch back to LA, providing concierge-level service for this production. Matters related to Beaches and Harbors fall under County jurisdiction, and the City remains in active communication with County officials.”
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath responded by saying the county is "beyond proud to welcome Baywatch back to LA County. Our entertainment industry’s home is right here, and we should be actively working to keep it here.” She has planned a meeting on April 8 with "“the production team, LA County Lifeguards, FilmLA, the Department of Beaches & Harbors, Council District 11, Public Works, the Department of Economic Opportunity, Fremantle, and Fox” to ensure the production can continue.
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