June 4, 2019

Key California Legislators Back Writers’ Campaign To End Talent Agency Conflicts Of Interest

Contact: Gregg Mitchell (323) 782-4651
Six key members of the California State Legislature have expressed strong support for the WGA campaign to realign talent agents’ economic incentives with those of the writers they represent.

Los Angeles – Six key members of the California State Legislature have expressed strong support for the WGA campaign to realign talent agents’ economic incentives with those of the writers they represent.

In their May 28th letter to Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) President David A. Goodman, the lawmakers state: “As members of the California Legislature, we stand in support of the action taken by members of the Writers Guild of America to ensure talent agencies end their conflicted practices and act as proper fiduciaries when representing their clients.”

The letter is signed by:

  • Chair of the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee Ash Kalra (AD 27-San Jose)
  • Chair of the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee Jerry Hill (SD 13-San Mateo)
  • Chair of the Assembly Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media Committee Kansen Chu (AD 25-San Jose)
  • Chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee Lorena Gonzalez (AD 80-San Diego)
  • Assembly Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media Committee Member Sydney Kamlager-Dove (AD 54-Los Angeles)
  • Assembly Labor and Employment Committee Member Wendy Carrillo (AD 51-Los Angeles)

“We’re very appreciative that key legislators are joining us in this struggle,” said WGAW President David A. Goodman. “These leading California State Senate and Assembly members recognize that this campaign is about ensuring that agents work for their clients, as required by state fiduciary law, not the other way around.”

“To realign agency incentives with those of their clients, WGA members decided collectively, by a 95.3% vote, that they will not be represented by talent agencies that profit by leveraging access to their clients,” the officials note in the letter’s conclusion. “More than 7,000 writers have taken the difficult but necessary step of terminating their relationships with agencies that have not agreed to these terms. We stand in solidarity with your members in this fight to ensure fair and proper representation.”

Read the full letter here.

The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing writers of motion pictures, television, radio, and Internet programming, including news and documentaries. Founded in 1933, the Guild negotiates and administers contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of its members. It is involved in a wide range of programs that advance the interests of writers, and is active in public policy and legislative matters on the local, national, and international levels. For more information on the WGAW, please visit: www.wga.org.