Far West

Ex-JPMorgan bankers have asked a federal judge to dismiss federal pay-to-play charges related to the sewer deals that helped push Jefferson County, Ala., into bankruptcy.

Inglewood, Calif. and San Diego mayors discuss professional football stadium plans for their cities in the week leading up to the Super Bowl.

Jennifer Johnston, vice president and research analyst in the municipal bond department of Franklin Templeton Investments is the new chair of the National Federation of Municipal Analysts, the NFMA announced Monday.

Moody's Investors Service has placed Kern County under review for a possible downgrade affecting approximately $86 million in debt.

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., has reintroduced legislation that would prevent the federal government from providing assistance to any state or local government, including loans, loan guarantees, lines of credit, and grants. It would, of course, have exceptions for responses to disasters like Hurricane Katrina.

Clarke Howatt, finance director for the Association of Bay Area Governments, is being sought by San Francisco law enforcement officials in the theft of $1.3 million in bond money from a regional planning agency, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Internal Revenue Service has recently closed two audits of bonds issued in Colorado with no change to the bonds' tax-exempt statuses.

California's recovery resulted from reduced spending, not just higher revenues, according to a Standard & Poor's report.

Oil-dependent Kern County, Calif. declared a fiscal emergency Tuesday anticipating a shortfall with oil prices down; one-third of the county's property tax revenues come from oil companies.

A taxpayers' group in San Diego County won a legal battle in its challenge to the way the school district spends its voter approved bonds.