Far West

WASHINGTON — Two District of Columbia universities are tapping the bond markets this week in separate tax-exempt and taxable transactions totaling $145 million.

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — The Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit District in California remains on track to debut in the bond market this spring, but the limits of the sales tax it relies on for funding will limit the scope of the rail transit line it plans to build, its board of directors learned here last week at a workshop.

WASHINGTON — Securities and Exchange Commission officials are urging market participants to provide their views about the muni industry and how it can be improved, after the SEC was forced by budget cuts to suspend a series of field hearings that were to be held around the country.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — The California Legislature adopted a budget bill for fiscal 2012 last week, though the toughest decisions required by that plan were deferred until this week.

SAN FRANCISCO — Oregon will march to market next week with its largest sale so far this year, a deal that is part of a broader buttoned-downed strategy.

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted 87 to 13 Thursday to approve a continuing resolution that would keep the federal government funded through April 8, while Democrats and Republicans try to negotiate funding for rest of the fiscal year.

San Francisco’s unfunded pension and retiree health care liabilities have ballooned to around $6 billion, according to a report by a Stanford academic and former California assemblyman.

Policy makers at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System voted this week to disregard the advice of their chief actuary and keep the retirement system’s assumed annual rate of investment return at 7.75%.

California Controller John Chiang Monday released an actuarial report saying the state faces a $59.9 billion bill to pay for health care and dental benefits for state retirees over the next 30 years.

WASHINGTON — The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority is developing a system that will tell its examiners and firms’ compliance officials whether firms that sold munis with material-event disclosures passed that information on to customers.