Far West

The California Society of Municipal Analysts awarded Jennifer Johnston, a vice president and research analyst with Franklin Templeton, with its inaugural Amy S. Doppelt Award for Meritorious Service.

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire planned to sign a bill Tuesday that would resolve about one-quarter of the state's $2 billion budget deficit.

The Washoe County, Nev., Commission has approved an ordinance to create a bond bank despite concerns from opponents about potential risks to the county's AA bond rating.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has approved Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board changes to Rule G-16 that would require muni broker-dealers that pose more risks to undergo compliance examinations more frequently, possibly as often as every year.

The future of Medicaid, which eats up nearly a quarter of states' budgets, will play a key role in governments' fiscal health over the next several years, Standard & Poor's said in a new report on the federal program.

Public finance law firm Hawkins Delafield & Wood LLP has opened a new office in Portland, Ore., after K&L Gates' public finance group in the city jumped over to the firm.

Having already assigned a negative outlook to Garvees, Fitch Ratings said downgrades could occur for such bonds without a backup pledge of revenues if lawmakers don't approve a longer-term reauthorization of highway and other surface transportation programs by March 31.

Republicans complained about the skyrocketing cost and lack of administrative transparency surrounding the construction of the California high-speed rail project, while Democrats and regulators steadfastly defended the partially bond-financed project as an antidote to gridlock and a way to create jobs.

Nearly a year after an entirely new slate of City Council members were elected to replace corrupt officials, Bell, Calif., a Los Angeles-area working-class city of 50,000, is beginning to find its financial footing.

Los Angeles County supervisors are balking at a proposal from the county sheriff's department to issue $1.4 billion of bonds to rebuild the 5,000-bed Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles.