With public playgrounds closed or offering restricted hours, the safest place for children to have outdoor fun is in the security of their own backyard, right?

Yes, say health officials, but families should still adhere to some basic safety precautions.

HOW OFTEN DO I NEED TO CLEAN EQUIPMENT?

Since the coronavirus is most easily spread ...Read more

Making a down payment on its housing pledge, Apple announced Monday it has committed $400 million to affordable housing projects this year across California, including immediate assistance for struggling Bay Area tenants and four, new low-income projects across the region.

The short-term aid and construction projects mark the first installment ...Read more

Q: How should you tell people they are wearing their mask incorrectly?

A: If you encounter someone wearing a mask incorrectly, be gracious and give the person the benefit of the doubt. Avoid putting anyone on the defense by offering unsolicited advice. Instead take a helpful approach. Smile with your eyes, and say something as simple as, &...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- The price for Matthew Perry's "mansion in the sky" is coming back down to earth. The actor of "Friends" fame relisted his Century City penthouse this week for $27 million, down from $35 million last year.

Located within the Century high-rise, the full-floor residence was reimagined during Perry's ownership by architect Scott ...Read more

Hotter, drier weather has produced a spate of destructive fires, but there are key steps homeowners can take to lessen the risks.

This includes understanding which communities are most threatened by wildfires before you buy a house, as well as making your home and yard more fire-resistant after you move in.

Even as the climate keeps warming, ...Read more

Q: We live next door to a house that has recently turned into a busy short-term vacation rental. The guests party to all hours outside in the pool and otherwise misbehave. We tried speaking to the owner and even calling the police. Nothing works. What can we do? -- Tracy

Q: Our neighbors are very loud. They yell and play loud music at all hours...Read more

And now, time for "It's Not a Stimulus Scam, the Sequel."

First, consumers had to be assured in June that the navy blue Visa debit cards that just showed up in the mail beginning in late May really did contain stimulus money. The unexpected plastic card wasn't a scam or a special promotion, as some thought.

Now, letters from the U.S. ...Read more

Berkeley, Calif., officials and nonprofit leaders broke ground Tuesday on housing for more than 200 homeless and low-income residents -- an unusual project set to become the city's largest affordable housing development.

The project, which will be built on a city-owned parking lot downtown, will include a unique mix of rental housing for low-...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Office leasing in Los Angeles County fell to its lowest point since the Great Recession in the second quarter as many businesses reeling from coronavirus restrictions and economic uncertainty halted their searches for new space.

Leasing transactions were about 60% to 70% below normal for that time of year, according to real ...Read more

If you're waiting for your job in services -- retail or otherwise -- to restart or to ramp back up to full hours, you might consider switching to solar installation, a fast-growing job market.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts solar installer jobs will grow by 63% between 2018 and 2028, for an addition of 6,100 jobs. Annual median ...Read more

Without medication to manage her plaque psoriasis, Jennifer Brown's face, scalp, trunk and neck periodically become covered in painful red, flaky patches so dry they crack and bleed.

She has gotten relief from medications, but they come at a high price. For a while she was on Humira, made by AbbVie, with an average retail price of roughly $8,...Read more

Families committed to college, but with the good sense to also know that cost matters, have long had motivation to consider community college. The case for community college is even stronger today, with the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis upending household finances.

And this is so not about settling. There are plenty of great careers...Read more

No matter how low interest rates are in many parts of our financial lives -- a 30-year fixed rate mortgage was 3.2% in late June, federal undergraduate student loans for the upcoming academic year have a fixed rate of 2.75% -- we know the rate charged on unpaid credit card balances to be insanely expensive: The average is nearly 17% these days. ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- There's always money in the banana stand, to borrow from the show "Arrested Development." But it might take a few more frozen banana sales to afford the Beverly Hills Post Office-area home of Will Arnett, who plays Gob Bluth on the show.

Listed for $10.995 million, the actor's steel-framed house is a reimagining of a design by ...Read more

With the unemployment rate at its highest since the Great Depression, perhaps you're one of the many Americans currently having difficult conversations -- or avoiding one -- on the topic of sharing space.

That might mean welcoming a roommate into your home, crashing with Mom and Pop for the foreseeable future, or taking the plunge to work from ...Read more

Q: We rent a single-family home and just found out that it needs to be tented for termites early next month. The landlord told us she would reduce our rent for the time we need to stay in a hotel. Money is tight, and a few days of rent reduction will not cover the cost of a hotel and meals. We want her to pay for these too. This is a massive ...Read more

A new app designed to rank the flood risk for every property in the U.S. has some distressing findings for Florida.

The cities with the most properties at risk are all over the state -- from Tampa, the city most at risk to storm surge, to Cape Coral, which Politico memorably dubbed "the boomtown that shouldn't exist," to sunny-day flooded Miami...Read more