California

Pressure on the state budget level is being felt by both the University of California and California State University systems.

The correction to the municipal market has improved muni to UST ratios while uncertainty hangs over ahead of the election. J.P. Morgan's Peter DeGroot said the firm expects the end of next week "will mark the end of the difficult technical period in 2024 and believe that net supply in November will lead to better valuations broadly in the municipal market."

Several macro trends have converged to drive growth in municipal bond issuance, said participants at The Bond Buyer's California Public Finance conference.

Build America Mutual insured the majority of the maturities in the West Contra Costa Unified School District GO deal.

San Francisco's slow recovery from the pandemic and continued financial pressures drove the downgrade, Moody's analysts said.

State Treasurer Fiona Ma appointed Christina Sarron as executive director of the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority.

Christopher Roberts joins the firm as a managing director, Joey Dierker as an associate director, Soledad Mancias as a municipal underwriter, and Steve Basset as a director.

A preliminary 9.3% return on investments in the year ending June 30 brought CalPERS' funded ratio to 75%, the public pension fund reported.

Craig Brothers, partner, portfolio manager and co-head of fixed income strategy for Bel Air Investments, joins Bond Buyer senior reporter Keeley Webster and discusses why his firm, primarily invested in California debt, has veered away from California GOs and public works revenue bonds in favor of agency, school district and local government debt.

The state received $250 million in federal funding to expand a Salton Sea restoration project in Imperial County, near the Mexican border.