California

DALLAS - With its first credit rating in hand, the Navajo Nation is preparing to finance a $200 million wind farm in a venture with Edison Mission Energy of Southern California.

SAN FRANCISCO - California school district bonds are back in the spotlight after an audit found poor oversight of school construction bond money awarded by the state.

The assessed value of all property in Los Angeles County increased for the first time in three years.

Legislation has been shelved in California that would have granted cities, counties, and school districts new taxing authority, according to press reports.

Los Angeles officials Monday offered a financing plan for a new football stadium downtown that includes $275 million of tax-exempt bonds.

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Monday that requires city officials to disclose their compensation for attending simultaneous or back-to-back meetings. The new law forces a clerk or member of the local legislative body to verbally announce the amount paid to the members.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has hired a new head. Edward Reiskin will lead the agency after serving in the top spot at the city’s Department of Public Works.

SAN FRANCISCO - The California Treasurer's Office has admitted law firm Polsinelli Shughart PC into the state's bond counsel pool.

SAN FRANCISCO - The city of Vallejo, Calif., could see its plan to exit bankruptcy sail through a final hearing Thursday with only one objection from two individuals.

SAN FRANCISCO - The majority of California redevelopment agencies will likely survive new laws aimed at shrinking or eliminating them, but some worry about outstanding bonds issued by the agencies and what market access they will have in the future.

Online retailer Amazon.com has filed papers to try to get a referendum in the June 2012 California election in an effort to overturn a new online tax-collection law.

The California Public Employees’ Retirement System on Monday reported a 20.7% return on investments in early estimates for the fiscal year ending in June.

A California appellate court will hear a public employee union’s appeal next month after a court denied a lawsuit over the Presidio Parkway public-private partnership.

The San Diego City Council agreed Monday to pay $70 million in redevelopment funds to the state as part of new budget legislation, according to the local press.

Moody’s Investors Service downgraded the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s water revenue bonds Monday to Aa3 from Aa2.

SAN FRANCISCO - California redevelopment agency proponents have filed a lawsuit in state Supreme Court to block laws that would kill or drastically curtail the RDAs to fill a gap in the recently adopted budget.

SAN FRANCISCO - California is working on a $5 billion bridge loan from banks to avoid the potential market chaos that could be caused by a possible U.S. government default due to political gridlock over the nation's debt limit.

LOS ANGELES - Amid a recent downgrade and talk of financial woes, Los Angeles will roll out almost $500 million of general obligation bonds this month.

Moody's Investors Service has downgraded the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's $1.2 billion of Proposition C sales tax revenue bonds one notch to Aa3 because of weaker coverage.

San Francisco has signed a deal with its police union that will increase pension fund payments in return for receiving past raises and avoiding layoffs, according to published reports.