Far West

California Assembly Speaker John Perez, D-Los Angeles, proposed a "blueprint for a responsible budget" that includes a reserve and a rainy day fund.

California legislation that would ban financial firms with a potential conflict of interest from participating in school district bond elections unanimously passed out of committee Tuesday.

California tax revenues are way ahead of projections for the year as the governor is set to release his revised budget later this month, leading to speculation about how the money will be spent.

State and local groups overwhelmingly praised the Senate passage of the online sales tax bill late Monday night but it still remains uncertain whether it can clear the House, where Republicans view it as a new tax.

Moody's Investors Service is coming up on a 90-day deadline when it will decide whether or not it will continue to rate the bonds of the successor agencies to California's 427 redevelopment agencies.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban development selected of a group of financial advisors, researchers, and consultants to provide technical assistance and advice to distressed municipalities.

Standard & Poor's changed its outlook on San Jose, Calif.'s outstanding debt to stable from negative, impacting more than a billion dollars of bonds ahead of a sale this month.

Law firm Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth has hired Katherine Thursby to work in its San Francisco office's public finance division.

The Columbia River Crossing project, a $3.4 billion replacement of the Interstate 5 bridge connecting Portland, Ore. and Vancouver, Wash., appears stalled unless Washington state lawmakers approve $450 million soon.

Washington's Treasurer James McIntire is unhappy with Moody's Investor Service's recent change to how it evaluates state pension liabilities and costs.