Preface
The California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission (CDIAC) was created in 1981 with the passage of Chapter 1088, Statutes of 1981 (AB 1192, Costa). This legislation established CDIAC as the State’s clearinghouse for public debt issuance information and required it to assist state and local agencies with the monitoring, issuance, and management of public financings. To meet its statutory responsibilities, CDIAC divides its functions into four units: Data Collection and Analysis, Policy Research, Education and Outreach, and Administration.
Since 1984, CDIAC has provided information, education, and technical assistance on debt issuance and public funds investing to state and local public agency officials and other public finance professionals. As a cornerstone of its educational program, CDIAC commissioned Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP to write an introduction to California public debt. Orrick worked with CDIAC to develop the California Debt Issuance Primer (Primer), which has served as the goto reference guide for public finance professionals, policy makers, and students on California debt since 1988.
The Primer has undergone subsequent revisions, including those done by Orrick in 1990 and 1998 and by CDIAC staff in 2006. But these updates have failed to keep pace with transformations in the market and the needs of a new generation of public finance professionals. To address these concerns CDIAC, again in partnership with Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, has created the California Debt Financing Guide (Guide)—a completely new educational tool and reference for California public agencies and service providers.
The Guide offers a new approach to understanding the responsibilities and obligations of issuers and the elected and appointed officials who are ultimately accountable for the use of debt financing by their agency. It also provides a comprehensive discussion of the legal and statutory requirements for debt issuance while employing a framework that supports the deliberative process issuers undertake before, during, and after issuing debt.