Far West

SAN FRANCISCO — California’s Bay Area Toll Authority will sell $800 million of taxable and tax-exempt debt this week to help fund massive modernization projects that include replacement of the eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — A civil jury in Sacramento rejected professional negligence claims last week against attorneys and a pension consultant involved in setting up a controversial pension system for Sacramento City Unified School District administrators.

WASHINGTON — Moving money market funds to a floating net-asset value would “help remove the perception” that MMF’s are risk-free and reduce investor incentives to flee distressed funds, but might be difficult to accomplish and lead to unintended consequences, the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets said in a report released Thursday.

WASHINGTON — The federal government opened its wallet to ports this week, giving them a larger-than-ever share of a $585 million competitive grant program.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Nevada Treasurer Kate Marshall is fighting for another term against former state controller Steve Martin.

WASHINGTON — The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority on Wednesday approved two underwriting syndicates for a total of up to $485 million of refunding bonds to be issued in two series next month.

WASHINGTON — The Department of Transportation Wednesday formally announced the 75 state and local projects that will receive a total of $585 million for construction and planning, with Atlanta, Fort Worth, Tex., and Seattle receiving the three largest grants.

SAN FRANCISCO — The University of Oregon hopes to get the green light for a novel plan to sell $800 million of bonds to help create an endowment that would pay for the school’s expenses and reduce its reliance on state funding, according to its president.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Energy Information Administration has determined that a legislative proposal to create and authorize $2.4 billion of home energy conservation bonds, as well as new tax credits, would help save 14 trillion British thermal units more than normal expected consumption levels.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have allowed local governments to use bonds to securitize the state’s promise to repay them for the cost of implementing unfunded mandates prior to 2004