Far West

Leaders of financial groups and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew warned Thursday that brinkmanship over the debt limit is already hurting the financial markets and that a default would have catastrophic impacts domestically and globally, making it harder to deal with long-term U.S. debt issues.

Honolulu officials notified a federal judge that they have met the additional environmental requirements for the city's $5.3 billion elevated rail project he outlined in a December 2012 order.

More issuers are starting to turn to direct lending for new money borrowings, in addition to refundings, according to speakers at The Bond Buyer's California Public Finance Conference.

Municipalities continue to suffer from the lingering effects of the economic downturn, though local and regional economies are improving and tax bases are gaining strength, the National League of Cities says in a new report.

Standard & Poor's upgraded San Francisco's general obligation bond to AA-plus, its highest rating in the city’s history, according to Mayor Edwin Lee.

San Bernardino, Calif.'s attempt to use bankruptcy to win a dispute with the state over dissolution of its redevelopment agency appear likely to fail.

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill exempting the state's transit workers from pension reform while suing the federal government for blocking pension reform for those workers.

The National Association of State Treasurers elected officers for 2014 and adopted several bond-related resolutions, during an annual business meeting at its conference here on Monday.

District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray is demanding a meeting with President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, citing a potential loss of municipal services and funding from the federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1.