Five San Marino residents who want to create what a spokesperson for the group called a “presentation film” but were denied filming permits will appeal the decision at the city council meeting on Wednesday, March 11.
Alice Shyu, Rosemary Lay, Julie Chan Lin, Carol Huang and Weni Wilson, along with two other women — Winnie Wang and Elizabeth Yang, who do not live in San Marino — were refused filming permits by the city on Feb. 11.
Huang, one of the San Marino residents, said that the group is seeking to “film their day-to-day lives in their private residences” in an effort to portray “the authentic Asian-America experience.” The group is working with a production company, Mountain View Production, to create the content that will be shopped to networks with the hopes of securing a contract for a series, according to Huang.
If the application had been approved by the city, filming was set to take place March 6-10. According to a letter that was sent to Huang denying the project, a smaller, two-day project proposed by the same group was filed on Jan. 5 and denied three days later, citing an incomplete application and “insufficient neighborhood consent.” The letter, authored by City Manager Marcella Marlowe, said that San Marino City Code requires 100% consent from residents within a 500-foot radius of each filming location. The application requested approval to film at four locations: 1725 Virginia Road, 1445 Cambridge Road, 912 Winston Ave. and 2103 Melville Drive. The city manager has the discretion to waive the requirement of 100% consent, but chose not to due to the pandemic.
One of the applicants, Julie Chan Lin, was elected to the San Marino School Board on Nov. 3 and took the oath of office in December.
The group has retained attorney Richard McDonald for legal representation on the appeal.
Residents to Appeal City’s Denial of Filming Permits
