Construction unions push for film studio complex in Summerlin

Hundreds of Southern Nevada building trade union members packed Las Vegas Ballpark Wednesday evening in a strong show of support for a proposed film studio complex.

The complex would generate 19,000 construction jobs with a focus on hiring Nevadans, according to Nevada Jobs Now!, a coalition of unions supporting the “Summerlin Studios” project. Signs around the ballpark highlighted a $2.9 billion economic impact during construction.

The project appeared dead after the legislative session ended in June without approval, but Gov. Joe Lombardo’s announcement last week of a special session has revived it.

The session is expected to take up Assembly Bill 238, which outlines $1.4 billion in transferable tax credits for the project.

Tommy White, secretary-treasurer of local construction union LIUNA, lauded the “Summerlin Studios” initiative Wednesday, calling it the “future of Las Vegas.” White brought his union to support Lombardo’s kickoff event for the 2026 election, then telling the Sun the studios are a large priority of his.

“We need everyone that’s here to show support,” White said. “When we speak about this bill, we tell our family members and we tell our neighbors and we tell everyone out there why we want to build movie studios in Summerlin.”

Assembly Bill 238 would have allocated up to $95 million a year in tax credits from 2028 through 2043 for the studio complex. The bill’s latest version also supported pre-K within the Clark County School District.

If passed, Howard Hughes Holdings would work with Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures to make the studio complex a reality.

Apple Thorne, a business representative for entertainment union IATSE, also pushed that the studios would help diversify the economy. That’s been a priority across party lines since the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered Las Vegas’ tourism industry.

Thorne said television shows and movies come to the city to shoot exteriors for a couple of days to a few weeks, but that they then go to New Mexico, Arizona, New Jersey or California to complete the rest of the project.

Robust studios nearby would turn those short-term gigs into months- and years-long jobs, Thorne said.

“I don’t want my members to only be reliant on the tourism industry,” she said. “When COVID happened, it destroyed us. … All we heard the whole time was that we were not essential. It’s essential that we can put food on the table for our families.”

And while Wednesday night was filled with discussion about “Summerlin Studios’” benefits, not every union is convinced.

AFSCME, which represents state workers, and the Nevada State Education Association urged Lombardo in a letter Wednesday not to include the “Summerlin Studios” bill in the upcoming special session, the Nevada Independent reported. The unions were joined by a series of progressive groups.

They pointed to a study sent to the Governor’s Office of Economic Development in May, which found that state and local governments would get back 52 cents for each dollar of tax credits for the project.

“The best-case math still doesn’t work out in Nevadans’ favor,” the groups wrote. “And that’s before we talk about the notorious volatility of film production, the prevalence of non-local spending, and the way transferable credits drain the general fund, whether or not a single Nevadans-first promise pans out.”

They also stressed the precarious state of Nevada’s finances as Las Vegas goes through a downturn in tourism.

It would be “fiscally irresponsible and politically indefensible” to pass the legislation while “knowing the project’s own fiscal (return on investment) is underwater,” the groups wrote.

Vince Saavedra, the Southern Nevada Building Trades Unions’ executive secretary-treasurer, emphasized the large presence at the ballpark while asking those in attendance to reach out to legislators about “Summerlin Studios.”

“I don’t want to hear any electeds say unions are divided. Take a look around, we’re not divided,” Saavedra said. “If one union is standing up crying that they don’t want this, go with the majority, not the minority.”

Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, a Democrat and one of the bill’s sponsors, highlighted her position on the Ways and Means Committee, saying that if the legislation wasn’t fiscally responsible, she wouldn’t have put her name on it.

“When people say we’re not being responsible, that the state is taking a chance, we might lose money — If they don’t invest their money, they don’t get any credits,” Monroe-Moreno said. “We’re not losing money on this deal.”

David O’Reilly, CEO of Howard Hughes Corporation, said the company is teaming with Sony and Warner Brothers on a $400 million commitment for the studio development.

Howard Hughes is also ready to spend another $1.4 billion for mixed-use development in the surrounding area, O’Reilly said.

Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, another Democrat sponsoring the legislation, said that the two legislators “took a lot of punches” for their support of the bill, but that they’re ready for “round two.”

State Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro, D-Las Vegas, also said that she was working with union leaders at Wednesday’s event, O’Reilly and her fellow senators to get the legislation through. While the Assembly did pass AB 238, the Senate ran out of time and did not vote on it.

“‘Summerlin Studios’ is shovel-ready,” O’Reilly said. “We have Warner and Sony ready to go, and we’ve collectively put our money on the table. Let’s put our people to work. Let’s invest in our workers. Let’s invest in our future, and let’s get this bill passed.”