Lindsay William-Ross

A meeting today by the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners found the matter of the future use of the land that was once the South Central Farm still undetermined, when the group opted to pass on making the call, instead sending the issue to the Los Angeles City Council for action. The Board says their inaction is largely due to the property's non-relevance to the Port of Los Angeles.

One of our favorite oceanfront venues is Santa Monica's Annenberg Beach House, and they have just announced an upcoming opportunity to experience their gorgeous pool with your fellow grown ups for an adult evening's beach party.

Your afternoon snack has just found its raison d'etre: Today is National Chocolate Chip Day, and the way the cookie crumbles around here is, well...we're talking chocolate chip cookies. Sweeeeeet, right?

Dang, social networking has sure changed how we relate to each other doesn't it? Facebook users, take note. In one state, there's a kind of friendship that is verboten, but parents-to-be all over the globe can tell their friends the big news in just one convenient click.

There is most definitely such a thing as a free lunch once a year at the Atwater Village location of India Sweets & Spices. Owner Kumar Jawa has made the celebration of his son Raj's birthday a present to all of us by welcoming customers to enjoy a free lunch buffet. The party is on this Sunday, August 7th from Noon to 7 p.m.

Authorities are searching for a West Hollywood man thought to be at the core of an extensive cocaine distribution network that reaches from here in L.A. to New York State. An eight-month investigation has so far "netted 32 kilos of cocaine worth an estimated $3 million, nearly $900,000 in cash, illegal steroids, a cocaine press for drug street sales, money counters and two shotguns."

Police in Long Beach are investigating a string of attacks targeting gay men that have taken place over the past 10 days. There have been three assaults, which the Long Beach Police Department say are unrelated, reports the Press-Telegram. Two of the three happened in the Broadway Corridor, a section of the city that is known for being particularly "gay-friendly." Those incidents are considered hate crimes.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has announced their soon-to-debut retooled Solar Incentive Program (SIP) to help get more local customers set up for solar power, and reaping the benefits. Late last year, the L.A. City Council asked the LADWP (voted one of the nation's 19 most-hated companies) to come up with a revised plan.

Check your channel lineup to make sure you know where to find California Channel, if you're interested in watching the live broadcast of the next hearing of the same-sex marriage ban (aka Proposition 8) case. The court date, September 6th, is when "a crucial procedural issue in the legal battle over Proposition 8 will go before the California Supreme Court in San Francisco," explains SFAppeal.

In today's Extra, Extra we've got cocktail envy, an awesome abode, a Pasadena prostitute sting, a politico-turned pancake slinger, and more news of the day. Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports.

A California resident has died after becoming ill from an antibiotic-resistant salmonella strain they contracted after eating contaminated ground turkey. "A California Department of Public Health spokesman said that the death was one of two cases of the illness reported in Sacramento County," reports KTLA.

If you've ever driven through the NoHo Arts District and noticed a curious barrel-shaped building and its run-down front and wondered what the heck it was, and, moreover, why no one was doing anything about it, wonder no more: This former restaurant is going to be restored and reopened soon. Hooray!