TELLER PEACE: It’s getting so you can’t...

TELLER PEACE: It’s getting so you can’t even use an automated teller machine without worrying about a criminal attack. Which is why the 100,000-member Orange County Teachers Federal Credit Union has installed 911 police emergency buttons on 20 of its ATMs--a first in the county. The push-button call activates a microphone and you can talk directly to the police in seconds. . . . Says credit union spokesman Rob Guilford: “This will provide our members added peace of mind.”

HOT WATER? Water is always a political land-mine issue in California. Now the state’s Water Commission is announcing yet again a gloomy water shortage if something isn’t done. The commission announced Tuesday it will hold the first of 10 public hearings on the issue in Santa Ana on Jan. 6, at the Crown Sterling Suites, starting at 10 a.m. and running in three sessions to 8 p.m. . . . Commission officials say that the water shortage could reach the crisis stage by 2020--when the state’s population is expected to reach 49 million.

BOTH OARS WET: After a year’s absence, Orange Coast College President Dave Grant has returned to coach the community college’s world-famous rowing team. Grant, who coached the college’s oarsmen for almost 30 years, explains the job was open and “I was the cheapest thing around.” He’d left the job because of the demands of the president’s office. But Grant says there’s just no room in the budget to hire another coach: “It’s a little nuts my doing this, but I’m looking forward to it.”

SUNNING IT UP: If you’ve seen any TV pictures of the state of Wisconsin frozen over this week, you know those Rose Bowl-bound Badger alumni will be soaking up all the Southern California they can get. And Knott’s Berry Farm is there to lend a hand. You can get $11 off your admission ticket if you’re wearing the logo or insignia of Wisconsin or UCLA (Rose Bowl), or even USC or Utah (Freedom Bowl). The park is also playing host to reunions for alumni from all four schools.