Keeley Webster has covered the Bond Buyer's nine-state West Coast region for more than a decade. Prior to The Bond Buyer, she wrote about commercial real estate for the award-winning California Real Estate Journal until the paper folded. She moved into business reporting in 2000, but has covered politics, cops, courts, education and environmental issues for newspapers in seven different states. She has won several awards for her work, including an Associated Press award for in-depth reporting.
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In this episode, Howard Cure, Director of Municipal Bond Research at Evercore Wealth Management, discusses the improving state of public pensions, the ongoing challenges faced by states like New Jersey and Illinois, and the risks associated with pension obligation bonds.
August 20 -
California and Oregon are experiencing yet another record-setting year of wildfires amid increasing uncertainty about FEMA and property insurance backstops.
August 9 -
Though further adjustments may be needed, Fitch Ratings analysts said the budget supports the state at its current AA rating level.
July 29 -
California Gov. Gavin Newsom released an executive order directing state agencies to clear homeless camps off state properties and urged cities to do the same.
July 26 -
The city announced its P3 partner this week even after its federal funding got cut in committee and Rep. Maxine Waters took a strong oppositional position.
July 26 -
A rapidly escalating fire season hit the West amid questions about federal funding and insurance.
July 22 -
Public pensions are averaging a significantly improved 80.6% funded ratio, but took on riskier investments to obtain higher returns, which would be problematic in a market correction.
July 19 -
With the reputational stain from the county's 1994 bankruptcy long in the rearview mirror, the southern California county had its rating boosted to the highest rating by S&P Global Ratings.
July 16 -
Infrastructure projects and plans for a new transit police department topped the agenda at the agency's State of the Agency event.
July 12 -
The Grants Pass decision was viewed as the most consequential for local governments of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent session.
July 12 -
Unfunded public pension liabilities have dropped more than 60%, or $3 trillion, from the peak in 2020, according to a new Moody's Ratings report.
July 10 -
The company says merging Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp. into Assured Guaranty Inc. will reduce duplication and represents a better use of capital.
July 9 -
A half-billion dollars in grants are to be split by a dozen of the nearly 500 applicants for the tech hub program and 31 semifinalists.
July 8 -
The private-activity bonds funding LAX's automated people mover project have been downgraded to junk by Fitch amid delays and disagreements with the private developer. But Fitch affirmed the airport's AA rating.
July 5 -
Between two state measures and one regional, California starts with $40 billion of GO bonds on the November ballot, before any other local measures are tallied.
July 5 -
The Contra Costa County Office of Education gave West Contra Costa Unified School District until July 17 to pass a budget, or have the county office step in.
July 3 -
California lawmakers were putting the finishing touches on the budget this week before the start of the fiscal year on July 1.
June 28 -
Two initiatives were dropped from the California ballot as Gov. Gavin Newsom worked to secure a legislative fix.
June 26 -
The agreement includes plans for a bill creating a constitutional amendment to allow the state to set aside greater sums in reserves.
June 24 -
The California Supreme Court issued an opinion Thursday blocking an anti-tax measure from November's ballot.
June 21
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