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Congressional watchdog to probe Latino representation, employment trends in entertainment industry

Justina Machado, left, played a single mother of two, with Rita Moreno as her mother, in the Netflix reboot of “One Day at a Time.” (Michael Yarish/Netflix)

Congress’ watchdog agency will study Latino representation and hiring in the film, television and publishing industries.

Prompted by the House Oversight Committee and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Government Accountability Office agreed this week to study Latino hiring in entertainment industries, representation in management and the enforcement of federal equal opportunity laws and regulations by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Department of Labor.


“It’s going to take a look at the whole ecosystem: the studios, the talent agencies, the guilds, everyone,” caucus Chairman Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) said. “I think it will be a very vast but also very in-depth uncovering of Hollywood and what is going on.”

The representatives asked the watchdog agency to compile a breakdown, by position, of Latinos working in the film, television and publishing industries, including their representation in talent agencies, unions and guilds. They also asked for data regarding the number of projects involving Latino writers, lead actors, showrunners, producers and directors, as well as figures on Latino editors and authors in the publishing industry.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.