SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris Statement On Gov. Brown Signing AB 1687

Los Angeles (September 24, 2016) -- “Gov. Jerry Brown today stood with thousands of film and television professionals and concerned Californians who urged him to sign AB 1687, a California law that will help prevent age discrimination in film and television casting and hiring," said SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris.

“On behalf of everyone in the industry who has struggled with age discrimination, whose opportunities to showcase their talent may have been blocked, I want to thank Gov. Brown and the bill’s author, Assemblymember Ian Calderon, and all the California lawmakers who were instrumental in this effort. I am also grateful to my good friends California Federation of Labor President Art Pulaski, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and Congressmen Ted Lieu and Brad Sherman who strongly supported this legislation.

"Thanks also to the Teamsters, DGA, WGA-West, the Association of Talent Agents, the AARP of California, and the real heroes: the thousands of SAG-AFTRA members who sent letters, faxes and emails to ensure this passed, and for their public support of this effort. Like all employees, performers deserve a fair opportunity to prove what they can do, and this bill will help them do just that.”

AB 1687 will help combat age discrimination by preventing the publication of a performer's age by “a business that owns, licenses, or maintains personal information about a California resident," the law states. It passed through both houses of the California Legislature with an overwhelming majority.

SAG-AFTRA has been working hard for years to stop the career damage caused by the publication of performers’ dates of birth on online subscription websites used for casting like IMDb and StudioSystem. Currently, many websites used for casting proactively present birthdates and ages to casting decision makers who often can’t avoid seeing this information even if they try. This law will help improve the working lives of all SAG-AFTRA members and aspiring performers.

To view Frequently Asked Questions about AB 1687, click here.