Wildfires

Senators from western states sent a letter to two federal agencies to address preparations for an extended fire season.

The failure of California's recent wildfire liability legislation leaves investor-owned utilities like PG&E and SoCal Edison exposed to continued financial risk and potential ratings downgrades.

Tens of thousands of acres have burned in central Oregon and in the Spokane region of eastern Washington.

Researchers examined more than 580,000 municipal bond issues and say the data shows communities with higher wildfire risk pay higher interest rates.

Los Angeles' weakening fiscal picture and the city utility's exposure to lawsuit liability from the 2025 Palisades fire were cited for the downgrades.

Lawsuits against the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power over wildfire liability crystalize the need for state governments to take the lead, said MMA's Matt Fabian.

Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson formed a Senate subcommittee to investigate the Los Angeles fires at the request of Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla.

The city's Department of Water and Power, which saw spreads widen after last year's deadly wildfires, upsized a revenue bond deal amid strong investor interest.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will sell $977.6 million of water revenue bonds as it grapples with the impacts of January's devastating wildfire.

The county will tap reserves and eliminate vacant positions to meet budget challenges driven by billions of dollars of child sexual abuse settlements.

Los Angeles County supervisors asked staff to draft restructuring alternatives for the county's Office of Emergency Management.

The plan being floated by California Gov. Gavin Newsom would nearly double the $21 billion fund created to protect the state's investor-owned utilities from outsized wildfire claims.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed the legislation expected to raise $40 million annually.

Damage claims from the Eaton wildfire could wipe out the $21 billion fund created to protect utilities and their customers when an investor-owned utility's equipment is deemed responsible.

An academic paper presented at the Brookings Institute's annual conference found that future wildfire risks are already having economically significant impacts on financial markets, municipal borrowing costs and vulnerable communities.

The county comes to market on the strength of its recovery, according to the county's financial advisor.

California local, state and federal officials blasted the Trump administration and congressional GOP for blocking supplemental recovery aid after the wildfires.

Even before January's fires in Los Angeles, change-of-address data shows residential moves based on fire risks and insurance availability.

Lawsuits claiming the LADWP failed to keep a reservoir filled or maintain water equipment were cited in KBRA's downgrade of its water system's revenue bonds.

KBRA downgraded Los Angeles GO bonds to AA from AA-plus in the city's second downgrade within a week. The city's lease revenue bonds were also cut.