Far West

Public policy scholar Dall Forsythe will join the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board as a public member to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Robert Fippinger, who is becoming the MSRB's chief legal officer.

Recent trends in the public pension arena "are not all gloom and doom," as most cities' pension funding ratios appear to have stabilized since the low point in 2010, Merritt Research Services said in a recent report.

The debate over the appropriate amount of public funding for professional sports facilities has been reignited in part because of growing revenue in the sports market, according to a report from Wells Fargo Securities.

California will experience favorable fiscal conditions through 2017 benefitting both the state and its local governments, according to Moody's Investors Service.

Standard & Poor's placed Samaritan Healthcare's BBB-plus long-term rating and underlying rating on credit watch with negative implications after the Washington state healthcare provider failed to provide timely information.

Securities and Exchange Commission officials are seeking changes to practices in the municipal market and more stringent actions to enforce rules protecting investors.

Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers unveil the fourth plan in recent years for a National Football League stadium in Los Angeles County.

California should create a grant program supported by the state's general fund to pay for school construction and maintenance instead of relying on voter-approved bonds, according to the state's non-partisan Legislative Analyst's Office.

Jessica Giroux has been promoted to general counsel of the Bond Dealers of America, assuming the number two position in the middle-market dealer group.

An agreement on staffing a new customs facility in Detroit removes the final roadblock to a $3.3 billion P3 bridge project.