California

Concerns about bankruptcies in California and their impact on the municipal market are still front and center for investors in the Golden State though market participants don't expect a large number of new Chapter 9 filings.

Vernon, Calif., the scandal-ridden Los Angeles County city that narrowly avoided being disincorporated in 2011, now faces allegations of voter fraud.

Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan has filed papers to launch a signature-gathering campaign to place a pension reform initiative on the city's May ballot.

An early plan to bring build an arena to bring the NBA Golden State Warriors across the bay to San Francisco would cost around $1 billion.

California Treasurer Bill Lockyer said he may cut off from state bond deals underwriters and advisors who worked on some of the more egregious capital appreciation bonds issued by local school districts.

A sluggish housing market in California will delay economic recovery for local governments by several years, Fitch Ratings said.

Williams Capital, a leading minority-owned investment bank, hired Sean Boyea as a principal in its new Sacramento office.

A Southern California company with $157 million of municipal bonds and once hailed as a model of cutting-edge technology is in liquidation. Enertech Environmental Inc. is in the process of being liquidated, said Geoffrey Berman, a vice president at Development Specialists Inc., a restructuring firm.

The Los Angeles City Council voted to approve negotiations with Ontario, Calif. officials that could result in L.A./Ontario airport being returned to local control.

The credit worthiness of charter schools were called called into question a few weeks ago when Fitch Ratings put all of the charter school bonds it rates on negative watch.

Long Beach, Calif. educators warned that K-12 schools and universities face steep budget cuts if voters reject Gov. Jerry Brown's Proposition 30 tax measure.

Fitch Ratings removed Baldwin Park, Calif. tax allocation bonds from negative ratings watch but affirmed their speculative BB rating and kept the outlook negative.

Moody's hit 54 California city ratings with downgrades or downgrade reviews after a sector review launched after three California cities filed for bankruptcy.

Victorville, Calif. officials have rejected a compensation claim by bond underwriter Kinsell, Newcomb & De Dios for the costs of investigations into the city's finances and bond transactions.

West Coast nonprofit hospital chain Dignity Health, formerly Catholic Healthcare West, was downgraded ahead of plans to sell up to $500 million in taxable bonds.

California Gov. Jerry Brown's recent vetoes of bills designed to reintroduce tax-increment financing will likely postpone, rather than kill, the return of some form of redevelopment.

California's state school superintendent, Tom Torlakson, appointed Kent Taylor to run the insolvent Inglewood Unified School District.

Standard & Poor's downgraded Fullerton, Calif. as the city fights with the state over which redevelopment obligations the city must cover.

A judge ruled in favor of Oakland in its pursuit of alleged overpayments to retirees in a long-closed police and fire pension fund.

Standard & Poor's placed three series of BB-rated Hercules Public Finance Authority bonds on watch for a potential downgrade.