Rich Saskal

SAN FRANCISCO — When ­Wisconsin’s insurance regulator divided Ambac Assurance Corp.’s insurance portfolio into good and bad policies last week, municipal bonds issued for the bankrupt Las Vegas Monorail were the only muni debt placed into the Ambac rehabilitation account, which consists largely of the toxic mortgage-related securities that brought the company to its knees.

Washington Treasurer James McIntire says the Build America Bond program has delivered tangible benefits for his state — quite tangible benefits.

SAN FRANCISCO — A Nevada Supreme Court opinion earlier this year has thrown a big question mark into the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s plans to build 306 miles of pipeline to pump groundwater out the state’s rural northeast into metropolitan Las Vegas.

After threatening a veto, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Monday signed bills to implement a fuel tax swap — repealing California’s sales tax on gasoline, but replacing it with an excise tax designed to generate the same amount of revenue.

Lawmakers this week gave final approval to a bill designed to give school districts around the state access to California’s $773 million qualified school construction bond allocation for 2009.

SAN FRANCISCO — A group of California cities and municipal utilities filed suit last week seeking to disqualify a ballot measure designed to erect barriers to publicly owned electricity providers.

The four legislative leaders who negotiated a 2009 budget deal to address California’s budget deficit with tax increases have been awarded the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum announced Tuesday.

Moody’s Investors Service Tuesday placed its A2 rating on Stockton Wastewater Enterprise 1998 and 2003 certificates of participation on watchlist for possible downgrade, saying the utility has violated its debt service covenant.

A week after a bankruptcy judge ruled that Orange County treasurer-tax collector Chriss Street had abused his position as trustee for a bankrupt trailer manufacturer, Street announced he would not run for re-election and agreed to surrender his office’s investment authority.

SAN FRANCISCO — California is preparing another multibillion-dollar general obligation bond sale next week with a backdrop of both bad news and good news.

SAN FRANCISCO — Now that ­Nevada’s governor has signed jobs legislation that emerged from the recent special legislative session, officials in the southern part of the state say they are prepared to hit the debt market to finance the projects that will create those jobs.

SAN FRANCISCO — Stone & Youngberg last week announced the promotion of Brian Fox and Kevin Schultze to managing directors, as well as 11 other promotions.

Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal signed the state’s two-year budget bill Friday, one day after announcing he will not run for a third term.

The California Public Securities Association has given its annual Award of Excellence in Public Finance to Bob Leland, finance director of Fairfield, the trade group announced.

Stanford University is preparing to issue up to $300 million of new tax-exempt debt this month, said treasurer Odile Disch-Bhadkamkar.

Standard & Poor’s Thursday announced upgrades for 11 different California solid-waste systems.

California revenue for February came in ahead of projections for the third month in a row, Controller John Chiang announced Wednesday.

SAN FRANCISCO — One of the Nevada local improvement districts that sold land-secured bonds to finance infrastructure at the troubled Lake Las Vegas development made an unscheduled draw on its reserve fund to pay debt service this month, according to a disclosure report filed with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board.

SAN FRANCISCO — California’s sales tax on gasoline is dead. But long live higher excise taxes on gasoline.

Kate Marshall wants another term as Nevada Treasurer.