Far West

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton co-hosted a meeting in Los Angeles aimed at finding new ways to develop public-private partnerships to fund climate-friendly infrastructure projects.

Rep. Paul Ryan's proposed fiscal 2015 budget "takes a bipartisan jackhammer" to transportation funding, said Rep. Nick Rahall, the top Democrat on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.

Moody's Investors Service upgraded the California Housing Finance Agency's revenue bonds to two notches A1 from A3 ahead of its $38 million bond sale.

California's state controller John Chiang announced a website that will track the funds collected under Proposition 30, the measure that increased the state's income tax and sales tax.

The average fee that state and local governments in California pay bankers to underwrite their municipal bonds hit a record low last year at $3.98 per $1,000 of bonds sold.

Two separate forecasters said Wednesday that while California's drought is significant for agriculture, the impact looks to be marginal for the state's larger economy.

Three convicted bid-riggers filed documents with a federal appeals court this week arguing that their convictions should be overturned because of several errors by the lower court.

Small financial advisory firms face the most challenges adapting to the new rules and regulations governing municipal advisors, with some predicting that many of the smallest MAs will go out of business.

Two separate sales tax measures that pit street repairs against mass transit projects are being floated in Los Angeles County.

Senate Finance Committee chairman Ron Wyden has proposed a bill to extend roughly 47 expired and expiring tax provisions, including four relating to bonds, governments, and Puerto Rico. Sens. Wyden and Orrin Hatch, the top Republican on the committee, have scheduled a vote on the proposed extender legislation for Thursday.