Far West

The Congressional Task Force on Economic Growth in Puerto Rico should avoid any changes to the Jones Act while considering various courses of action to help boost Puerto Rico's struggling economy, four congressmen said in a letter to the task force's House members.

The California Department of Finance announced that state revenues were $330 million off expectations in July.

A big increase in New Jersey's gasoline tax would restart work on $3.5 billion of stalled road projects, Gov. Chris Christie said.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti nominated David Wright to be the new general manager for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

Bondholders' poor recovery relative to pensioners in Detroit was typical of municipal bankruptcies, as protecting the workforce has outweighed debt repayment in courtrooms across the nation.

Los Angeles County has given the greenlight to a public-private project for a $270 million office building for its Department of Mental Health anchored by tax-exempt bonds.

Providence Health & Services took a one-notch downgrade from Fitch Ratings, ahead of a planned &803 million revenue bond deal for Providence St. Joseph Health.

The National Federation of Municipal Analysts is suggesting that Congress should give the Securities and Exchange Commission direct regulatory authority over issuers as a way to improve disclosure in the municipal market.

Both presidential candidates should focus more on rebuilding U.S. infrastructure, former officials urge.

An $800 million bond sale to finance New Jersey's American Dream retail development could provide fuel for critics of the municipal bond tax exemption, according to Municipal Market Analytics.