California

Chris Lytle was named the new executive director of the Port of Oakland last week, according to a release from the port's board of commissioners.

The Los Angeles City Council approved a plan to merge two Los Angeles departments.

Moody's Investors Service upgraded to Baa1 from Ba1 the rating to the Successor Agency of the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Santa Monica Calif.'s earthquake tax allocation bonds impacting $39.8 million in outstanding long-term debt.

Gov. Jerry Brown's administration has ordered an independent review of the California Department of Transportation amid controversy over the new span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

Standard & Poor's said in a report Wednesday that California's revised budget would allow for more financial flexibility for schools, generally a "positive credit factor."

Fitch Ratings structured finance analysts warned that current housing prices in certain California markets are unsustainable.

California Controller John Chiang issues scathing report on Bell, Calif. but city officials say they are close to clearing up their audits and a $39 million bond default involving Dexia.

Moody's Investors Service has stamped a triple-A rating on Palo Alto's $20 million general obligation sale set for later this month.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Agency will be seeking approval from its board in June on borrowing totaling $10.2 billion through 2026 to complete the rail transit network.

The Rockefeller Foundation selected eight cities to participate in the RE.Invest Initiative, a national effort to support sustainable infrastructure that includes financial advice on P3 options.

The California Controller's office determined in a review that the successor agency to Riverside's redevelopment agency is not only in current possession of $30.5 million in real property that it is no longer legally entitled to hold, but that it inappropriately transferred another $64.25 million in real property to the city.

Moody's Investors Service said a recent less-conservative analysis of California revenues increases the likelihood the Legislature will pass a budget with higher revenues and higher spending.

The California Public Employees' Retirement System filed motions to remove the law firm Winston & Strawn LLP from the San Bernardino and Stockton Chapter 9 cases because they hired their outside bankruptcy attorneys.

Three-term City Councilman Eric Garcetti replaces termed-out Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on July 1st following a hotly-contested run-off.

More than a year into a battle between the San Diego County Water Authority and the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California over rate increases, the central issues appear to be far from resolved.

California's budget watchdog said it expects revenues to come in more than $3 billion higher than estimated in Gov. Jerry Brown's revised budget.

Transportation Corridor Agencies said Neil Peterson will become its new chief executive officer.

Standard & Poor's said California Gov. Jerry Brown's revised budget released this week that projects lower revenues has little impact on the state's credit rating.

Moody's Investor Service said it has assigned an Aa1 rating to California's Department of Water Resources Central Valley Project System revenue bonds ahead of a sale.

Moody's Investors Service has raised the general obligation bond rating of the San Mateo-Foster City School District to Aa1 from Aa2, affecting $138 million in outstanding debt.