Public finance

Los Angeles Mayor Bass' proposed $12.8 billion spending plan aims to close a $467 million deficit.

The new-issue calendar will be a "good test to see if the higher absolute yields can pull buyers off the sidelines or if underwriters need to widen spreads significantly enough to reprice the entire market to clear the deals," according to Birch Creek strategists.

The state of emergency will let the governor use the central government's rainy-day fund to provide money to WAPA that semi-autonomous agencies of his government owe the authority. WAPA will use the money to make payments to bondholders and other creditors starting Tuesday.

"The upgrade is supported by strengthened debt service coverage ratios due to better than expected recovery from the pandemic," Fitch said.

S&P affirmed the state's AA issuer credit rating, citing healthy reserves and plans to increase permanent fund totals to mitigate revenue fluctuations.

"Numbers are hard to come by in a comprehensive way, but we do learn the state's budget is targeted at $237 billion," said John Hallacy. "This budget is clearly not a 'caretaker' budget, but one that adds significant spending. The question is how that spending will affect the out-years."

A combination of a "stronger-than-expected economy, higher Treasury rates, robust supply, and rich valuations resulting in choppy markets" have made the trading environment in H124 "quite difficult," according to Barclays.

Two rating agencies upgraded Los Angeles Unified School District's bond ahead of multi-billion dollar refunding.

The Basel III Endgame proposal to restructure capital holding levels comes under fire.

Friday price talk for the unrated tax-exempt paper was between 11% and 15%.

The Inflation Reduction Act, affordable housing and clean energy were among the topics discussed at Baker Tilly's DevelUP conference in Chicago this week.

The replacement Hollywood Burbank Airport terminal won't have more gates, but will be less cramped and resolve its noncompliance with FAA safety regulations.

"Folloing recent yield moves, a generic muni index is now down 1% on the month with no real sub-sector showing much deviation from that result," said Kim Olsan, senior vice president of trading at FHN Financial.

The law firm revealed 2024 promotions.

As the nation's fourth largest city faces a growing structural budget deficit, it is also expecting to issue more than $3 billion of debt for its airport, water and sewer system, convention center, as well as to fund a settlement with firefighters and for cash-flow purposes.

The extension of the current solar net metering system could lower revenue for the utility.

The finance team is "marketing slices of risk" to raise money to refinance its debt, investors said.

John Fleming is pushing back against a proposal in the state Legislature to change the way the state Bond Commission oversees the issuance of debt by cities, counties and local governments and entities.

Jeffrey Scruggs, Managing Director and Head of Public Sector and Infrastructure Group at Goldman Sachs, sits down with Bond Buyer Executive Editor Lynne Funk on the state of the muni industry.

Despite higher yields, muni to UST ratios remain rich. Ratios look "progressively richer" moving into the five- to 10-year part on the curve, with the 10-year spot "still far more attractive in taxables versus tax-exempts," J.P. Morgan said.