People and Events

As scheduled, a half-ton circulation pump was put into the water off Mothers’ Beach at Marina del Rey to lower bacteria levels that have kept the swimming spot unsafe since a Hyperion Sewage Treatment Plant spill six months ago.

Actor Eddie Albert, who swims in Santa Monica Bay every day and has an obvious interest in keeping the water clean, was on hand for the installation of the aeration machine by Aquatic Environment Controls Co. of Barstow under contract to Los Angeles County.

The marina’s beach is called “Mothers’ Beach” because the water is shallow and calm enough to attract moms with their small children. Not since October, however.

Aquatic’s Bob Woltman was a little perturbed that some reports have suggested that the 14-foot-long device might suck up small children, erode the beach, cause tidal waves “and a lot of other nonsense.”

He said the Marina del Rey unit is the 38th to be installed throughout the world and “we’ve not had a failure on any of them. Our machine has a 100% track record in destroying bacteria.”

One of the successful installations, Woltman declared, is at Lake Castaic, where the system has been in place for five years. “No children have been sucked in and there have been no tidal waves,” he insisted.

Former Hollywood stuntman-turned-inventor Vic Chatten, 75, was getting a lot of calls Wednesday about the “bird barrier” that he has developed and that was installed on the Los Angeles Harbor Department’s San Pedro headquarters to keep pigeons away.

He had to tell callers the Slinky-style device is not yet commercially available.

He got so many responses after the newspaper story about it that he said he wished he had thought to tell the reporter about his electric toilet seat, which he has had for two years and couldn’t do without. He says you press a button on the seat and it flushes the toilet.

It also serves as a night light.

To follow up on another bird story:

Garrie Katznelson of Tarzana says the relationship has changed between her collie and the wild North American wood duck that landed in her swimming pool three months ago, staying on after falling madly in love with the dog.

The duck could not seem to leave Lady alone, following her everywhere and playing with her constantly. If the collie lay down, the duck would walk all over her affectionately.

With mating season over, says Katznelson, the duck is molting. “He and Lady still eat out of the same bowl and sleep together. They’re still good friends, but it’s not the same.”

Like so many other males in this world, will the duck fly away pretty soon?

“I’m not sure,” Katznelson says.

Whatever happens, her husband, Steve, observes, “It’s not everyone who’s been adopted by a duck. Frankly, we’re honored.”

Former Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr.--popularly known as Jerry--will celebrate his 50th birthday today at a small private gathering.

Supporters wanted to throw him a bash at one of the big Los Angeles hotels with 1,000 to 1,500 of his closest friends. But Brown rejected the idea, telling reporters: “It’s just not the right time. If I were more active in the public domain, then it might be appropriate.”

He has suggested that he might again seek public office one of these days. In the meantime, he has been pretty much out of sight, contemplating life and helping the poor in places like Mexico and Japan, as well as writing a book. He says he still practices law.

Other residents of the 79-unit Hillside Terrace Apartments in the La Brea area say their neighbor Joe Dion is about the coolest man they’ve ever seen. Dion, a real estate man, has told them he doesn’t know what they’re talking about.

Manager Toni Horvath agreed. When fire broke out in a second-floor apartment facing the patio, she said, she and others ran around trying to evacuate some of the older tenants.

Horvath recalls that Dion strolled out of his own patio apartment, saw flames licking up the side of the building, picked up a garden hose and almost casually sprayed the flames, even after a fireball burst through a window to shower him with broken glass.

Meanwhile, firefighters were having trouble getting their hose into the interior of the structure through security gates and fences. “He had it out before they got there,” says tenant Barbara Toennies. “The one room was burned to a crisp and if it hadn’t been for his quick action, the building might have gone up.”

Horvath thinks Dion deserves “at least honorable mention” for his Monday night action.

Dion was unavailable for comment.