Los Angeles Is Crumbling — and Hollywood Is Leading the Fall

The entertainment collapse, vanishing tourism, union stranglehold, homelessness, and crime expose a city losing its edge. All while Mayor Bass seems helpless to fix anything.

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A Fading Symbol of the City’s Glory

Hollywood has long been the shining emblem of Los Angeles — the source of its global image. But today, the shine is dimming fast. The city that once sold dreams to the world is now struggling to keep its own alive.

The Entertainment Slump

The Wall Street Journal last week described LA’s entertainment economy as “a disaster movie.” Film and television production has plunged as studios increasingly take their shoots to Georgia, Texas, and Canada. FilmLA reports on-location filming down roughly 22 percent in early 2025, with feature work off nearly 29 percent.

Demand for soundstages has slowed, and several visual-effects houses — including Technicolor/MPC and The Mill — have downsized or shut down. Budgets are tighter, layoffs widespread, and thousands of crew members remain out of steady work since last year’s dual writers and actors strikes.

Even after the 2023 WGA deal raised some streaming residuals, shorter seasons, and fewer productions have cut income stability for writers and actors. Producers say higher labor minimums and new contract terms have increased costs, prompting smaller shoots to relocate and larger ones to delay commitments.

Even mainstream outlets now doubt Los Angeles’ readiness for the 2028 Olympics, pointing to transit delays, homelessness, and cost overruns.

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The decline of Hollywood is just the opening act. What’s happening across Los Angeles tells the real story of how progressive policies, union dominance, and civic decay are eroding the nation’s cultural capital. We read about it in pieces, it’s something else to see it all stitched together below…

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