California

The Orange County Water District, Calif. Board of Directors voted to enter into formal negotiations with Poseidon Water to build a $900 million seawater desalination plant in Huntington Beach.

San Bernardino's pension bondholders have filed a lawsuit in the California city's bankruptcy case seeking equal treatment with the state's largest pension fund.

California Gov. Jerry Brown signaled a focus on state retiree healthcare obligations when he released his $113.3 billion fiscal 2016 general fund budget proposal.

State Treasurer John Chiang selected municipal bond veteran Tim Schaefer as deputy treasurer for public finance, among senior staff picks announced the week of his swearing in.

California's nonprofit Daughters of Charity Health System is bucking noisy union opposition in an effort to sell out to a for-profit operator that would retire its junk-rated tax-exempt bonds.

Art Leahy, chief executive of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, plans to step down in April when his contract expires.

Work is officially under way on California's $68 billion high speed passenger rail project funded with $10 billion of voter-approved state bonds

New California Controller Betty Yee's latest senior staff picks include municipal bond industry veteran Lynn Paquin, who was appointed senior financial advisor.

Fitch Ratings affirmed its AA-minus rating, and Standard & Poor's its A-plus rating, ahead of a bond sale planned by Cottage Health System in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Proposed changes in how Moody's Investors Service rates $6.5 billion in tax allocation bonds in California could mean upgrades for many Golden State redevelopment credits.

A well-attended memorial service was held Jan. 5 in Brea Calif., for Nossaman LLP bond attorney Jeffrey A. Stava, who died Dec. 30 at 56.

California auditor's report describes 10 substantiated whistleblower complaints totaling $89,000 in theft and waste by state employees and departments.

Los Angeles World Airport officials said enplanements at LA/Ontario International Airport grew in 2014, a year Los Angeles spent battling Ontario city officials who want control of the Inland Empire airfield.

California Controller John Chiang called for greater scrutiny of the state's 4,800 special districts in conjunction with the release of an audit of two special districts.

A ceremonial groundbreaking for California's $68 billion high speed passenger rail project is scheduled in Fresno.

Los Angeles County's emergence from the economic downturn with key credit factors intact was cited by Moody's Investors Service in affirming the county's Aa2 issuer rating and other ratings notched below that, including an A1 rating on a forthcoming $168 million lease revenue bond sale.

Citing a recent debt restructuring, Moody's Investors Service upgraded the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency two notches to Ba2.

Standard & Poor's removed California's Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, operator of Caltrain service between San Jose and San Francisco, from credit watch on Monday citing improved budget operations.

The Los Angeles World Airports board of commissioners has approved its piece of a plan to connect Los Angeles International Airport to the city' light rail and subway system.

Riverside, Calif. officials say findings in an audit conducted on 2009 sewer bonds and the city's sewer fund mean the city can move forward on a bond sale.