Far West

Two public electric utilities in Los Angeles County received negative outlooks from S&P citing costs, liabilities, and litigation stemming from wildfires.

Gloria's pointed comments about the county's responsibility caused a stir in the days since he delivered the speech, which sets the table for budget talks in coming months.

Gov. Joe Lombardo replaced his budget chief as the legislature's Democratic leaders criticized the Republican for submitting an out-of-balance budget.

The municipal bond market's initial negative reaction to this month's Southern California wildfires has eased, with secondary spreads starting to tighten.

Broker-dealer Siebert Williams Shank's foundation donated $100,000 to two organizations aiding Los Angeles-area residents affected by the wildfires.

The Los Angeles-area wildfires have sparked a negative rating watch for several credits from Fitch Ratings.

Fieldman, Rolapp & Co. has acquired Orem, Utah-based municipal advisor G.L. Hicks, a healthcare finance specialist.

With losses expected to be measured in the tens or hundreds of billions, the municipal finance industry begins to take stock of the Los Angeles-area wildfires.

It could be the year's largest unrated municipal bond deal.

The insurance market going into the Jan. 7 catastrophe already had been hit with non-renewals and cancellations -- and an overburdened state-supported insurance plan. A Morningstar analyst said the state insurance commissioner's reform strategy could have turned it around but now faces new obstacles.