(a) Prior to issuing or approving the issuance of bonds for a project, the authority shall determine that the revenues and other moneys available for a project will be sufficient to pay debt service on the bonds and to operate and maintain the project over the life of the bonds consistent with the objective set forth in Section 64105. The authority may hire outside consultants to assist in making these determinations.

(b) The authority may issue or approve the issuance of bonds to achieve any of its purposes under this division and bonds may be issued without investment grade ratings, as long as the bonds are sold only to qualified institutional buyers or accredited investors who attest upon purchase that they understand the nature of the risks of their investment. The bonds may be taxable or tax exempt and may be sold at public or private negotiated sale. The Treasurer shall serve as the agent for sale for all authority bond issues, and shall be reimbursed from bond proceeds to cover the Treasurer’s costs related to the issuance of these bonds. As used in this subdivision, “accredited investor” shall have the meaning as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 5950, and “qualified institutional buyer” shall have the meaning as defined in subdivision (h) of Section 5950.

(c) A project sponsor for which the authority has granted a request that the project sponsor issue the bonds, in addition to any other powers it may have under any other law, shall have all of the powers of the authority under this division necessary or convenient for the purpose of issuing, securing, and repaying the bonds and financing or refinancing the project.

(d) The issuer may arrange additional credit support for the bond issues. However, the authority may not compel project sponsors to make use of that credit enhancement, nor compel them to contribute to it by becoming part of a common credit or by providing funding for a common reserve or other enhancement mechanism.

(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 198, Sec. 6. (AB 1070) Effective January 1, 2014.)