Nevada

Why not incentivize housing instead of Hollywood? | Pat Hickey

Published

5 months ago

October 22, 2025

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Why not incentivize housing instead of Hollywood? | Pat Hickey

Pat Hickey
| Memo from the Middle

Recently, two headlines caught my eye. The first: Nevada plans to roll out the Hollywood red carpet with public tax breaks for private studio companies — Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. The other: The University of Nevada, Reno plans a new 400-unit public-private apartment complex near campus for faculty, staff and students.

Both proposals utilize tax-credit financing to incentivize businesses to meet Nevada’s needs.

To my mind, if it becomes a question of what is our most pressing priority, I would pick an affordable supply of homes for our Nevada towns over the lure of Tinseltown coming to our southern desert.

When I think of the future of a Nevada film industry, I don’t see it becoming a blockbuster. Gone is the glamour and dream-like entity that once was embodied by Hollywood. A successful sequel to the magic of movie-making success seems unlikely — whether it’s located in Studio City, California, or Summerlin, Nevada.

The curtain appears have come down on that once glorious period. Like the end of the the Old South’s saga in Hollywood’s “Gone with the Wind,” a bygone era of mystique and dominance is likely no more.

The slow death of cinemas

Hollywood was once the symbol of creative genius. Movies served as the vehicle for global storytelling. It was the place where human’s dreams were brought to life. Films in local movie theaters were once the crown jewel of the film industry. It’s hardly the case these days.

For me, it’s partly because the two cinemas where Shin and I used to spend Friday nights — dinner and a movie — are now shuttered. Reno’s downtown Riverside Theatre and Lake Tahoe’s Heavenly Cinema have both closed amid declining ticket sales, increased competition from streaming services and changing consumer habits, such as favoring movies at home. More than 1,000 U.S. theater screens have closed since 2019, and total box-office revenue remains well below pre-pandemic levels.

Hollywood’s demise has a lot to do with what has appeared on movie screens in recent times. Instead of creative, bigger-than-life sagas of the human spirit in all its varied forms — in war, peace, romance and even crime — today’s Hollywood films typically rely upon remakes, sequels and prequels of past glories, computer-generated comic book super heroes extravaganzas or horror flicks designed to frighten, or simply disgust. Call me old-fashioned. The fact is, this once avid filmgoer has become just plain disinterested. Many of my younger friends seem much the same, for their own reasons.

Even famed Oscar-winning Hollywood film director Martin Scorsese has soured on all the comic book super-hero types now frequently served-up by today’s bottom-line studios. In an interview with GQ Magazine, Scorsese says, “Superhero movies are “not cinema,” comparing them to theme parks rather than the art form of human emotion and psychological experience. He argues that they prioritize spectacle and commercial interests over artistic expression and that Hollywood’s financial dominance by these “franchise pictures” is pushing other types of films to the margins. The Oscar-winning director went on to say: “Theaters have become amusement parks.”

The last time I checked — some of those theme parks are closing as well.

Is a Nevada film industry a good investment?

In a recent Wall Street Journal story titled “L.A.’s Entertainment Economy Is Looking Like a Disaster Movie,” the newspaper reports: “The entertainment industry is in a downward spiral… Work is evaporating, businesses are closing, longtime residents are leaving and the heart of L.A.’s creative middle class is hanging on by a thread. Hollywood’s downturn has rippled through the region’s economy.”

Which is why some Nevadans believe luring struggling Hollywood film studios here could be a wise pursuit. As reported by The Nevada Independent, a PAC funded with $1 million by a coalition of building trades unions is preparing “to spend big to shape public and legislative opinion to pave the way for film tax legislation” if a special session is convened by the governor.

Incentives to motivate companies to relocate to Nevada have always been a tax tool in the state’s arsenal. A low-tax, limited-regulatory business environment has benefitted Nevada’s growth spurts throughout its history.

Transferable tax credits were a device to bring the Teslas of the world to Nevada. Acting like coupons that could be sold to other companies to help offset a company’s initial investment, they’ve worked effectively to attract major new industries and sports franchises to Nevada — even though libertarian organizations like the Nevada Policy Research Institute have consistently opposed having government “pick winners and losers.” Pick we did in the case of Tesla, and overall, I believe Nevada ended up a winner with the electric-vehicle company that helped usher the state into the era of advanced manufacturing.

I’m not so sure bringing Hollywood studios here would yield the same return on investment. Beyond the turmoil in California’s film industry, other states — such as New York and Georgia, with far larger economies and infrastructure, and nearby New Mexico and Utah — are already far ahead of Nevada in attracting films to be made outside of Hollywood.

While I support the livelihoods of construction workers — whose well-being is tied to the state’s overall health and the ancillary benefits of growth and development — I believe there are more pressing needs and far better opportunities for Nevada than becoming another annex for an on-the-ropes Hollywood.

Why not incentivize housing instead of Hollywood?

Two times, movie studio executives have tried to pass legislation to expand Nevada’s film tax credit program. They hope a Special Session, expected to be called soon, may be their third-time charm.

Should the public, through its elected representatives from both political parties, fail to get on board with the latest “central casting” call from Hollywood executives, I’d recommend another way to get creative.

Like UNR just did.

The national housing crisis manifests in many forms, but most impactful is the severe shortage of affordable housing units. State and local municipalities are increasingly taking action to build and preserve affordable housing. Localities can deploy a wide range of tools and investments: tax abatements and exemptions, tax increment financing, payments in lieu of taxes, public land contributions, low-interest rate loans, voucher deployment and more.

Instead of $1.4 billion over the next 15 years in tax credits for a film studio complex and related businesses, why not use those potential transferable tax credits as an economic development tool to help finance and provide a source of equity to fund construction of housing or rehabilitation for affordable housing for key segments of the economy, such as teachers, medical professionals and seniors. Large industrial partners like Tesla could be incentivized or make good on the “housing and infrastructure” promise Elon Musk made to the region and his own employees.

Better we do things for Nevadans who are already here than for those we hope to migrate here from Los Angeles.

Legendary Hollywood filmmaker Frank Capra (“It’s a Wonderful Life”), once said, “Only the daring should make films. Only the morally courageous are worthy of speaking to their fellow men for two hours, and in the dark”.

Nevada could use a little of that daring and courage. Hollywood may not be the answer. But the housing needs of many of our own families certainly are.

Your thoughts? At: tahoeboy68@gmail.com.

“Memo from the Middle” is an opinion column written by RGJ columnist Pat Hickey, a member of the Nevada Legislature from 1996 to 2016.

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Nevada

Jeff Choate evaluates spring camp following Nevada’s first padded scrimmage

Published

14 minutes ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

Jeff Choate evaluates spring camp following Nevada’s first padded scrimmage

The Nevada football team held its first closed scrimmage of spring camp last Thursday with the team nearing the halfway point of its 15 allowable spring practices.

After the scrimmage, third-year head coach Jeff Choate met with the media to share his takeaways. One of the first things he noted was positives coming from the wide receiver and running back rooms, saying all four wideouts who transferred to Nevada this spring made impact plays. Those newcomers include Donnie Cheers (Southeast Missouri), Jaceon Doss (Towson), WR Gary Givens III (Northern Illinois) and Damien Morgan (Idaho State), who were imported to shore up Nevada’s biggest weak point last season.

“I thought we did some really good things creating explosives,” Choate said. “The negatives from an offense standpoint was just some basic operational things. We had a lot of snaps that were on the ground, perimeter blocking the first time you get the officials out there. We got some holding calls that negated some explosive plays. So, those are things that obviously we need to continue to work on and clean up.

“From a defensive standpoint, like I told them after the scrimmage, ‘There’s the two things that are always going to show up in these. We can’t really simulate live tempo the way it’s going to be when you’re playing football with officials. So, I think the tempo got them a little bit. And then tackling always shows up in a first scrimmage where we’ve been working tag tempo or thud tempo in practice and now we’re out there playing real football.

“A lot of things to clean up on both sides. I felt like there was good competition. I think that guys competed hard. There was some good physical play. “

Entering spring camp, Choate said the Wolf Pack had the same depth chart at quarterback as it ended the 2025 season, with Carter Jones atop the list, veteran backup A.J. Bianco second and UCLA transfer Luke Duncan blending in with the two. Choate said all three quarterbacks did some good things in the scrimmage, which will be used as an evaluation tool as a pecking order begins to take shape after spring break so the quarterbacks could continue to build consistency with playmakers on the depth chart.

Despite some sloppiness, it was an interception-free scrimmage, with turnovers an issue for Nevada last season. The Wolf Pack ranked sixth worst in the nation in passing efficiency, throwing 10 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

“I think that competition raises everybody’s performance,” Choate said. “I felt like the three top guys all did some really, really good things. All three of them were able to lead touchdown drives at one point in time or another during the scrimmage. There was some sloppiness with some issues with the snap, but some of that was on the quarterbacks, right? They gotta be able to catch the freaking ball first and then worry about what the read is. And some of that stuff I’d like to see be a little cleaner in terms of the basic operation stuff.

“I thought those guys missed a couple of reads there, and that’s gonna happen. But by and large, we didn’t throw any interceptions today. I thought that was good they took care of the football, they got out of the pocket when it was appropriate for them to do that and they were able to put the ball in the end zone, which is the goal.”

Choate hired offensive coordinator Brett Bartolone this offseason to help revitalize a stagnant offense that averaged just 17.5 points per game last year, one of the worst marks in program history. Bartolone isn’t new to Nevada after serving as an offensive analyst for the Wolf Pack from 2020-21. Nevada’s offense hasn’t been as potent since then. During that two-year stretch, it averaged 33.7 points per game led by two-time Mountain West offensive player of the year, Carson Strong and playmakers Romeo Doubs, Cole Turner and Toa Taua.

Choate admitted this offseason change was needed to be more effective on offense, which includes throwing the ball more than his offense featured the last two seasons. Bartolone previously ran a spread-passing attack that Nevada is installing this spring.

“I think he’s got a plan and he knows what he wants it to look like,” Choate said of Bartolone. “He’s run this system for a while and he’s been a part of the system for even longer, so he’s gotten bank reps on, ‘Hey, defenses are gonna play us certain ways, and when they do this to us, this is how we can counterpunch that.’ And I think it’s done a good job there. I think there were some things in protection today that we’ve got to get cleaned up. We missed some protections with the backs, but those guys will get better at that as we get more repetitions.”

Nevada is on spring break this week and will continue spring camp next week with its final scrimmage at Churchill County High on April 10.

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30 Southern Nevada high school football programs go independent, leaving the NIAA playoff structure

Published

12 hours ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

30 Southern Nevada high school football programs go independent, leaving the NIAA playoff structure

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — 30 southern Nevada high school football programs are going independent and choosing to step away from competing in the NIAA-sanctioned playoff structure.

“Definitely a good number of schools, their decision was based off of Bishop Gorman, we have to do all of these weird playoff configurations with these complicated formulas because a lot of teams don’t want to play them, but it’s not the only factor,” Liberty Football head coach Rich Muraco said.

WATCH| Alex Eschelman reports the latest on 30 high school football programs leaving NIAA playoff structure

30 Southern Nevada high school football programs go independent, leaving the NIAA playoff structure

Other factors include differences in zoning rules, transfer rules and finances.

“When you’re playing for a state championship, the NIAA’s job is to group teams you know as fairly as possible and play with similar types of circumstances and rules and there’s a perception out there that that’s not being done,” Muraco said.

Now, these schools are taking action into their own hands as the first step toward an even playing field.

“The goal long term is to get everybody back in a room and come up with a plan that’s fair for everyone,” Muraco said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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Nevada nonprofit pushes for youth mental health change in Latino communities

Published

1 day ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Nevada nonprofit pushes for youth mental health change in Latino communities

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — There is a growing concern about youth mental health across Nevada, and a local nonprofit is pushing for change in one community.

In many Latino households, talking about mental health is not always the easiest conversation.

But as Hope Means Nevada says, breaking that silence is where the change begins.

Conversations about mental health may be growing, but in Latino households, they are still not happening. Hope Means Nevada is a nonprofit focused on preventing teen suicide and improving youth mental health across the state.

Nevada ranks last in youth mental health

Executive Director Janna Velasco said here in Nevada the stakes are high.

“I think all the data proves that our work is important and imperative and really urgent, because Mental Health America just reported us last, 51st,” Velasco said.

That ranking, measuring things like depression, hopelessness and suicide attempts, puts Nevada at the bottom nationwide.

Within that, some communities are being hit even harder.

“Latinas, in particular, female Hispanic youth, reports 10% higher rates of suicide attempts than their white peers,” Velasco said.

Stigma persists despite family support

Velasco said that the data point surprised her at first.

“I thought that those numbers would report less. I thought that the family support, and my husband is Colombian, and nothing is better than spending time with my married family. They’re just so loving and close and just pour so much love on the kids and hugs and celebration and music and great food, et cetera. I thought it would be the opposite. But what is present is stigma,” Velasco said.

Velasco said that is why it is important to have uncomfortable conversations until they get comfortable.

“Really, having a preventative conversation with your teen, just like you might run through a fire escape route, or how to beware of strangers. It’s a safety plan for teens that really needs to happen. And parents should just start the conversation,” Velasco said.

Velasco said a lot of crisis moments happen between midnight and 6 a.m. But help is always available. The 988 Lifeline is free, 24/7, and offered in multiple languages.

Hope Means Nevada will be hosting a mental health wellness walk in a few weeks.

To learn more about how to join, visit their official website.

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