Far West

LOS ANGELES - California's statewide property tax roll rose by 0.3% this year after experiencing two years of declining assessed values, according to a report released by a state agency.

A bankruptcy judge has rejected the Chapter 9 bankruptcy filing of sparsely populated Boise County.

Moody’s Investors Service gave an A2 rating to $296 million of airport refunding bonds that Hawaii plans to sell this month. The savings from the deal is expected to exceed 6%.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is already trying to tackle a $23 million annual budget deficit, according to local press reports.

After much watering down, a California bill to make it harder for local governments to seek bankruptcy protection cleared committee on Wednesday.

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Wednesday that will allow the state to sell bonds in $25 denominations.

WASHINGTON - Fitch Ratings says the United States is downshifting just as President Obama is expected to include transportation spending as a major part of the job creation program he will present to Congress Thursday night.

The Internal Revenue Service has completed an audit of $60 million of hospital revenue bonds issued in 2002 by Lakeland, Fla., finding no change to the bonds’ tax-exempt status.

SAN FRANCISCO - Montebello, Calif., has won a legal victory that will allow it to sell notes to buffer its troubled finances.

WASHINGTON - Local school districts face renewed budget pressure as states cut back spending, forcing local governments to weigh tax increases and layoffs, the Center on Budget Policy Priorities said in a recent report.