Rich Saskal

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Legislation enacted to separate California’s veterans’ home loan bond program from the state’s general fund had an immediate ratings payoff.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — The California attorney general’s office appears to have junked a proposal by Democrats to raise $8 billion by securitizing revenue from bottle and can deposits.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Four unions representing California state employees agreed to contracts that require workers to contribute more to their pensions and provide less generous benefits to future hires, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Wednesday afternoon.

A bill designed to make it harder for California cities and local agencies to file for Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy has been put on the shelf, at least for now.

The San Diego mayor’s office has an emphatic response to a recent report advising the city to explore the bankruptcy process as an avenue to reduce its pension and employee retirement liabilities.

Mercer LLC will pay the Alaska Retirement Management Board $500 million to settle a lawsuit accusing the firm of negligence that contributed to the multi-billion unfunded liabilities of the state’s employee pension funds.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Oregon’s troubles are not over.

Hawaii Lieut. Gov. James “Duke” Aiona Jr. Wednesday vetoed a bill that would have imposed a moratorium on tax credits the state had promised to investors.

The Guam Power Authority ended up getting a split decision from the ratings agencies.

Voters in the San Jose suburb of Santa Clara Tuesday approved a ballot measure authorizing city leaders to continue moving forward with negotiations that could lead to construction of a new stadium for the San Francisco 49ers.

The housing market may have hit its bottom, to judge from the experience of one of the most hard-hit regions in the country, according to a report Standard & Poor’s published this week.

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell has signed budget legislation that includes $397.2 million in new general obligation bond authority.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — California voters signed off on most of the local bond measures they faced Tuesday, while also approving a major shakeup to the state’s primary election process and rejecting a measure that would have made it harder to establish and expand municipal electric utilities.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — The California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission intends to hold the line on the reporting fees it charges for bond transactions in the state.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Every firm in California’s bond underwriting pool will be required to file quarterly reports on its municipal credit default swap activities, Treasurer Bill Lockyer announced Friday, while also urging the imposition of federal and international rules to limit “naked trading” of municipal CDS.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Voters in California’s statewide primary election on Tuesday will consider more than $1.8 billion of local general obligation bond measures — a relatively small amount by recent standards — with most of the political heat being generated by the race for governor.

The Gallatin County Commission Tuesday gave preliminary approval for the use of recovery zone facility bonds to finance construction of buildings in downtown Bozeman, replacing those destroyed in a March 2009 natural gas explosion that killed one person, according to local reports.

The California Senate Wednesday approved two measures that sponsors say will rationalize the state’s budget process.

California can get through August without a cash crunch, Controller John Chiang said Wednesday in a letter to lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Buoyed by a one-notch upgrade from Standard & Poor’s, the Guam Power Authority is preparing to sell more than $200 million of power revenue bonds this month.