Duke’s Malibu has endured one disaster after another. The famed restaurant perched over the Pacific narrowly survived last year’s Palisades Fire, though smoke left it badly damaged. Five weeks later, a mudslide forced it to close for 13 months.

Last weekend, waves came crashing through its windows.

Workers scrambled to board up the ...Read more

DETROIT — Developers of the proposed $2.2 billion Renaissance Center project are resisting calls for deeper affordable housing commitments, as Detroit residents press for lower rents and millions of dollars in housing assistance in exchange for public subsidies toward a reimagining of the iconic riverfront complex.

Nearly 200 apartments in ...Read more

New York City’s iconic Plaza Hotel is closing for a four-year renovation of its historic facade.

The closure, which is set to begin in Jan. 2027, will accommodate repairs to the hotel’s landmarked exterior, ensuring guest safety and adhering to preservation requirements, Plaza management said in a statement Wednesday.

The hotel operators ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Westfield Topanga is one of Southern California's most popular malls, but it has grappled with what to do with the empty space left when it lost its Sears.

Joining a national wave of malls trying to become fancy food destinations, it launched its food hall — Topanga Social — in 2023, with high-end menus and an upgraded ...Read more

U.S. mortgage rates continue to rise, pushing down home purchasing activity for a sixth straight week.

The contract rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage ticked up 1 basis point to 7.50% in the week ended Oct. 9, still the highest level since November 2023, according to Mortgage Bankers Association data released Wednesday. Rates are up nearly 1 ...Read more

Monthly checks for nearly 72 million Americans receiving Social Security benefits will increase by 3.6% in 2027, the most in four years.

The cost-of-living adjustment, known as COLA, will apply to Social Security benefits starting in January and increase the average benefit for retired workers by $75 per month to $2,170, the Social Security ...Read more

JPMorgan Chase issued a report this week seeking to determine the return on $214 million in philanthropic investments it made over the past decade into developing underserved Chicago communities.

While perhaps a little harder to measure than more traditional financial investments, the answer is: a lot, or more precisely, hundreds of them.

...Read more

The Bloc, a massive mixed-use complex in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, is on the block for sale as the commercial property market shows signs it is bottoming out with buildings changing hands at big discounts.

The complex fills a city block in the financial district with an office skyscraper, the high-rise Sheraton Grand hotel and a ...Read more

Average U.S. apartment sizes have risen but not in San Diego where space is at a premium.

San Diego’s average new apartment size was 827 square feet in 2025, said a new study from rental website RentCafe, less than the national average of 910 square feet. San Diego’s apartment size was unchanged from the previous year, whereas the national ...Read more

A pet project of architect Frank Gehry, a smaller concert hall to complement his legendary Walt Disney Concert Hall, is taking shape in downtown Los Angeles for an opening next September.

Elements Gehry devised to set it apart are already visible, as construction on the $337 million addition to the Colburn School of Performing Arts reveals ...Read more

Gold has been on a wild ride this year.

The precious metal soared to a record of nearly $5,600 an ounce before tumbling to roughly $4,000. It has since clawed its way back to about $4,200, leaving investors wondering whether gold’s spectacular run has more room to go — or whether the metal’s best days are behind it.

Daniel Eye, senior ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- The sky was blue, and the winding street in Topanga Canyon was quiet. Only birds and the voices of Deena Robertson and Austin Bisnow could be heard, their sweet harmonies floating from their A-frame cabin into the canyon.

"If I were a painter, I'd be your eyes and spend eternity looking inside.

If I were a dancer, I'd spin you...Read more

It may not cause the sticker shock of last year’s whopping increase, but State Farm is set to raise homeowners insurance rates in Illinois by another nearly 8% this fall, according to a recent filing with the state.

The increase went into effect for new policies on October 1, while current customers will see the higher rates beginning in ...Read more

Mortgage rates surged in September, and they’ve reached their highest point since May 2024. The run-up in rates has left many consumers feeling less than eager to dive into the housing market.

The war in Iran sent oil prices soaring in recent months. Higher energy prices translate to both higher inflation and rising 10-year Treasury yields. ...Read more

Take a deep breath in Hollywood's Kimpton Everly Hotel and you may catch a whiff of sandalwood, leather, fennel, cardamom, violet and cedar.

And if you sniff the lobby of downtown Los Angeles' Ritz-Carlton, you may detect "bright effervescent notes ... layered with soft florals," a custom fragrance known as Champagne & Shimmer.

For years now, ...Read more

Look to the fine print of Treasury futures for the next big jump in bond yields.

As U.S. 30-year securities head ever closer toward 6%, the move threatens a shakeup in futures, which are widely used by investors to hedge government bond positions, and by leveraged funds in strategies such as the popular “basis trade.”

It has to do with ...Read more

MIAMI — When South Florida billionaires Ken Griffin and Stephen Ross gathered with business leaders in February, they made a powerful pitch for a different kind of South Florida.

Through a statewide initiative powered by the advisory group Florida Council of 100, Griffin and Ross called on CEOs, billionaires and entrepreneurs to bring and ...Read more