Tonya Chin

The city of Portland, Ore., is planning to sell $30 million of new money and refunding general obligation bonds in a competitive offering next week.

The state of California upsized its $1.6 billion GI deal to $1.8 billion and priced a day early on Wednesday amid strong demand.

Moody's Investors Service has downgraded the general revenue bond rating on the University of California ahead of its $750 million bond sale next month.

Oregon's legislature ended its short session this month, approving over $5 billion in debt, but ending the Columbia River Crossing plan for a modern Interstate 5 span across the Columbia River.

California State Controller John Chiang released his monthly cash update for February, showing the state's revenues came in above projections.

Washington State lawmakers are working to pass a bill that would authorize lottery-backed bonds to fund school construction projects throughout the state.

Alaska is planning to sell $170 million of short-term debt to finance transportation projects in a competitive offering next week.

California State Controller John Chiang released a report showing the state's health care liabilities total $65 billion and suggested a way to reduce that amount.

California could see low borrowing costs next week when it brings $1.6 billion of general obligation debt to market.

Moody's Investors Service has placed the rating on the California Housing Finance Agency's multifamily revenue bonds on review for upgrade.

California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation aimed at helping communities deal with impacts from the state's record drought, largely by fast-tracking spending from already voter-approved bond measures.

State and local government bond issuers came to market with the lowest amount of debt this month compared to any other February since 2000.

Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings have downgraded a health care system with hospitals in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska, ahead of its $108 million refunding deal.

At the request of a healthcare workers union, California Treasurer Bill Lockyer has asked the state's debt commission to study the disclosures non-profit hospitals make to the bond market.

The Southern California Public Power Authority is planning to finance its acquisition of a Nevada natural-gas power plant with a $322 million sale of revenue bonds.

California's Department of Water Resources sold $162 million of water revenue bonds on Tuesday to finance construction and to refund outstanding debt.

The California Legislature has another water bond proposal to consider as more lawmakers proposed a $7.9 billion water bond to replace the $11 billion water bond set to go before voters in November.

As underwriting firms are squeezed on all sides in this competitive market, mergers and acquisitions offer a way to help manage some of the challenges, observers say.

California's Department of Water Resources is planning to sell $165 million of water revenue bonds to finance construction on a water system and to refund outstanding debt.

New issue supply in the municipal market was down during 2013, largely driven by a major slowdown in refunding deals during the second half of the year.