Far West

Hawaii took advantage of a market starved for bonds to increase the size of its highway revenue deal and lower its borrowing costs.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board voted last week to study the feasibility of creating a light rail system on the Orange Line to connect the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee approved a $500 million general obligation bond measure that will go before voters on Nov. 4.

The state of Oregon has been taking advantage of market conditions by refunding its outstanding debt at lower interest rates to save around $80 million since 2013, according to Treasurer Ted Wheeler.

As banks make more loans to lower-rated municipalities, they may have to follow Interagency Guidance on Leveraged Lending that was developed with private and corporate borrowers in mind.

The Senate adopted legislation that would provide a five-month, $8 billion bailout of the Highway Trust Fund that extends the fund's solvency through mid-December.

Moody's Investors Service downgraded three tranches of Fort Irwin Land LLC, Calif. military housing revenue bonds citing concern over volatility and debt service coverage.

California State University is planning to sell $744 million of revenue bonds this week to refund outstanding debt and provide funding for various campus projects across the state.

The Securities and Exchange Commission's Office of Municipal Securities is hiring two new attorney advisers in the latest expansion of the team tasked with providing muni market expertise to federal regulators.

Costs of complying with environmental regulations could increase for California's hydroelectric-reliant public utilities as the state's severe drought pushes them toward more generation sources with higher greenhouse gas emissions, according to Fitch Ratings.