California

Jessica Soltz Rudd will replace public finance veteran John Tillapaugh as business development manager in Fitch Ratings’ Western Region.

A second state appeals court decision in California that rejects a rigid interpretation of the so-called “California Rule” of vested rights has boosted the hopes of those who want to change public pension formulas in the Golden State.

Bud Ovrom, who has held a number of top level Los Angeles city politics positions, is retiring as head of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The California Public Employees' Retirement System’s decision to reduce its assumed rate of investment return to 7.0% from 7.5% is good for the credit of the state and its local governments, Moody’s Investors Service said Thursday.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has secured $1.5 billion in federal grants and loans needed to accelerate a subway line.

A coalition of state, local, and infrastructure groups is pushing the California Legislature to act on transportation funding soon in 2017 after failing to reach a last-minute deal in 2016.

The release of a lengthy collection of environmental documents sets the stage for the California WaterFix Delta tunnel project to move forward and for its opponents to continue fighting it in both courtrooms and the court of public opinion.

A coalition that opposes California high-speed rail has filed two lawsuits to try to halt the project just as the rail authority planned to seek approval to issue bonds.

California Gov. Jerry Brown appointed two of his closest advisors on environmental issues to the California Public Utilities Commission.

San Bernardino, Calif. City Manager Mark Scott believes the city’s Chapter 9 bankruptcy workout, combined with voter approval of a new city charter, poises the city for a comeback.

The Los Angeles Department of Power plans to price $500 million in power revenue bonds next month as the first installment in $4.5 billion in bond sales planned over a five-year period.

Three Magnolia Public School charter schools received a new lease on life from a county board after the Los Angeles Unified School District didn't renew their charters.

The Supreme Court of California has a case before it with the potential to alter the political and legal conversations about pensions in the Golden State and beyond.

The California Public Employees’ Retirement System Board has voted to reduce the pension fund’s current 7.5% expected annual rate of return on investments to 7% over the next three years.

California Treasurer John Chiang has formed a cannabis banking group to help marijuana growers gain access to banking.

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has issued $259 million of taxable water revenue bonds, certified as green bonds through the Climate Bond Initiative.

The board of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System could decide as soon as Dec. 20 on the best method of reducing its rate-of-return expectations

The California High-Speed Rail Authority board approved two funding plans that will clear the way for it to sell $4.7 billion in bonds.

Jason Kissane, a managing director at Assured Guaranty, won the California Society of Municipal Analysts’ 6th Amy S. Doppelt Award for Meritorious Service.

The City and County of San Francisco has invested $4.5 million into a public/private partnership aimed at reducing homelessness.