Kyle Glazier

California’s unemployment rate now sits at its lowest since February 2008 and year-to-date revenues are $474 million above the forecasted $13.36 billion, according to the state’s latest finance bulletin released Wednesday.

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker announced this week that he convened a meeting of the state's business leaders to discuss Alaska's fiscal future and how to reduce its multi-billion dollar budget deficit.

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District will sell more than $350 million of highly-rated refunding bonds next week to refund bonds issued more than a decade ago.

California's legislative session ended Friday without a transportation funding plan, but legislative leaders vowed to complete the work through a conference committee this fall.

Fitch Ratings upgraded the San Francisco Airport Commission's approximately $77.6 million series 1997A and 2000A special facility lease revenue bonds to A-minus from BBB-plus.

Fitch Ratings has placed $112.5 million of revenue bonds issued for the J. David Gladstone Institute on negative outlook due to "unsustainable" draws on the organization's endowment fund.

The city of Lebanon, Ore. is preparing to issue more than $14 million of refunding debt.

Standard & Poor's has upgraded Eureka Redevelopment Agency, Calif. to BBB-plus from BBB, citing improved cash management.

California's recent agreement with one of its employee unions to have employees prefund some of their retirement benefits is something its elected leaders want to extend to more state employees.

The Oregon Facilities Authority is preparing to sell a cross-border deal when it issues $71.1 million of bonds for Providence Health & Services in Washington.

California lawmakers are getting closer to finding more money for the state's infrastructure with less than two weeks left in the regular legislative session, though deep divides remain.

Standard & Poor's has upgraded Salinas, Calif.'s sanitary sewer system revenue bonds to AA-minus from A-plus.

The Tri-county Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon will sell $133.6 million of triple-A rated payroll tax bonds Sept. 9.

While growth rates and the trajectory of the economy have improved considerably, Oregon is not yet fully healed from the recession and may suffer from the retirement of older workers, the state's economic forecast showed.

Washington State is racking up court-imposed penalties approaching $2 million, a positive for the credits of school districts in the state, Moody's Investors Service said this week.

Standard & Poor's has affirmed its A-plus rating for Washougal, Wash. water and sewer revenue bonds ahead of a $10.8 million deal.

Officials at Portland, Ore.'s Metro want to complete the bond financing of a long-delayed hotel adjacent to its convention center after a recent major courtroom victory.

Sacramento is planning to convert existing short-term debt into long-term bonds next month to finance its share of an arena for the Sacramento Kings basketball team.

San Jose, Calif.’s pension settlement with the city’s police and firefighters is evidence that reducing pension liabilities will be challenging for local governments, Fitch Ratings said in a commentary.

Standard & Poor's affirmed its AAA rating of California Department of Water Resources water system revenue bonds for the Central Valley Project ahead of a $109 million deal it expects to price Aug. 25.