Professionals Working With Child Performers in California Need Permits

That was the message from a panel of experts convened at SAG-AFTRA headquarters in Los Angeles Nov. 14.

While state enforcement of California’s Child Performer Protection Act (CPPA) has been described by some as sluggish, that could soon change as word begins to spread about the law and the legal penalties imposed on those who fail to comply, according to Mark Lambert, the former Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney.

“At some point there’s going to be an investigation,” Lambert said during the SAG-AFTRA-hosted panel, which was streamed on Facebook Live. “There’s going to be an undercover operation. You could go to jail. You could be fined $10,000.”

The CPPA requires many professionals who work with child performers, including publicists, hair/makeup artists, acting coaches, and managers, to pass a background check and obtain a special permit issued by the state of California.

“The triggering mechanism is if you charge them a fee — if you charge the minor [a performer under 18] a fee for any of these services you have to get a permit,” Lambert added. “The only real exemption is for those licensed as a talent agent.”

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, chief operating officer and general counsel of SAG-AFTRA, encouraged entertainment industry professionals to check the California Department of Industrial Relations website to see if they’re required to register.

“If you are [required to register], get a permit rather than waiting until something happens and you’re in trouble,” he said.

Crabtree-Ireland said that as compliance improves, parents of child performers will have another resource to vet the professionals who work with their children. “When there is a critical mass of people who have gone through this and gotten their permit, parents will have an easier time to go through the search function and check compliance,” he said.

Elizabeth McLaughlin, chair of SAG-AFTRA’s Young Performers Committee, encouraged casting offices who are holding young performer workshops to notify parents if they have been permitted.

“It shows the parents that upon signing in at the casting office, you can know your child is in good hands,” McLaughlin said.

Patricia Salazar, and attorney with the state’s Division of Labor Standards and Enforcement, said her office hasn’t received any complaints “directly about non-compliance.”

But that could change after awareness grows of the state requirement.

“It’s definitely had a positive impact,” Daryn Simons, a talent manager with Cohesive Entertainment Group, said of the CPPA. “What we need to continue to do is get the word out through evenings like this.”

Questions about compliance for all affected industry professionals can be addressed to: cpslicensing@dir.ca.gov or by calling 510-285-2123.

Need more information? The DLSE has provided a helpful FAQ page: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Child_performer_services_permit_FAQs.htm

Application for a CPPA permit is easy and user-friendly! Applicants can access all the necessary paperwork online: https://permits.dir.ca.gov/CPS/index.jsp

If you’d like to read the full text of the law, it can be found here: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201…