Brea Talks

Aimée Matsumoto sits down with Brea Economic Development Manager Melissa Furio and Brea Administrative Services Director Monica Lo to discuss the direct impacts shopping and dining local have on quality of life as well as the quality of a city's services and infrastructure. Hear from Melissa about what Economic Development is exactly (2:09), the history of of these efforts in Brea (4:15), and what makes Brea’s business communi...

Aimeé Matsumoto and Brea Gallery Director Katie Chidester sit down and discuss National Arts & Humanities Month (1:08), as well as the newest exhibition coming to the Brea Gallery, the Super Art Friends Show (1:31), a collaboration between the City of Brea and Yo Gabba Gabba!  Then, Aimeé and Katie welcome two special guests, Yo Gabba Gabba! creators, Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz.  Hear about the origins of the hit show (...

Listen in as Mayor Blair Stewart and Brea’s Executive Staff present the 2025 State of the City. City Manager Kristin Griffith and Administrative Services Director Monica Lo talk about the recent businesses opening in Brea, as well as the city budget, put together by an award winning Finance Division (1:57). New Fire Chief Dan Mielke and Chief of Police Adam Hawley  discuss the proactive steps being taken in expanding life saving se...

Dan Fenstermaker welcomes back Lieutenant Chris Harvey of the Brea Police Department to talk about electric bikes, also known as e-bikes. Learn about the origins of laws geared towards this newer tech (0:53), what Brea PD is focused on when encountering e-bikes in public (2:03), the different classes of e-bikes and what prospective e-bike shoppers can expect from each of them (3:31), what public and shared spaces e-bikes are legall...

Dan Fenstermaker sits back down with the Brea Public Works Department’s Recycling Team, Francesca Vivanti & Destiny Garcia, this time to talk about the new Organic Recycling program now in affect.  Hear a little history on Organic Recycling in the State of California (1:47), find out what is and is not considered eligible for your organic waste bin (5:43) - with some significant common misconceptions (13:57),  how multi-family ...

Dan Fenstermaker talks trash with the Brea Public Works Department’s Recycling Team, Francesca Vivanti & Destiny Garcia.  In part one of this two part topic, learn about the history behind recycling legislation and efforts (2:44), common misconceptions that lead to “wish-cycling” (7:36), what happens to your recyclables once they leave your property (14:37), and what happens if we don’t properly sort our waste (17:33).

For more ...

Dan Fenstermaker concludes his conversation with the Brea Building and Safety team (and Friends) as they discuss in detail the process of opening and/or moving a business into the City of Brea. Rounding out this three part series on the heels of Building and Safety Month, learn about the steps involved with commercial projects from checking in with the Planning Division (4:25), submitting your project application to Building and Sa...

Dan Fenstermaker continues his conversation with the Brea Building & Safety team, this time discussing the various nuances of residential projects. Learn from Alexis Mendicino and Rogelio Cortes what residential building codes are hiding in plain sight (2:25), the process of putting in a major project like an ADU (6:53) and what the most common misconceptions are regarding residential construction projects and the process invol...

May is Building & Safety Month! Listen in on a round table discussion with Dan Fenstermaker and the City of Brea Building & Safety team about the the history of build & safety codes (5:22), why these codes are so important (9:53), and how to start the permitting process for your own project (12:22).

For more information visit the Brea Civic & Cultural Center, Call 714-990-7601 or Email Building@CityofBrea.gov

Thi...

Dan Fenstermaker sits with Brea's new City Manager Kristin Griffith. Get to know Kristin a little more as we hear about her career journey and what led her to this position (3:22), what she loves to do in her spare time (5:59), and the gratitude she feels for being given this opportunity (9:02).

This episode of Brea talks is brought to you by the Brea Line newsletter.  BREA Line is now a fully digital interactive, newslett...

Dan Fenstermaker discusses various volunteering opportunities Brea offers through City sponsored programs.  Brea PIO Liz Pharis talks about the annual Mayor’s Youth Award Program (1:35), Victoria Ugarte of the Brea Resource Center gives information about the Brea Volunteen Program (10:42), and Kristin Steyerman and Ashley Reid of the Brea Special Events team update us on Serve Brea, the new year-round volunteer program (16:17).

This...

Dan Fenstermaker has a round table discussion with members of the Brea Fire Department (Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Lisa Keyworth, Fire Marshal Nicole Pesqueira and Fire Captain Chris Marvin) about what the community should do in the event of a wildfire. Learn important terms often used during wildfire events (3:54), takeaways from the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles (17:09) and what the Brea Fire Department is doing to be pro...

Ruben Segura and Dan Fenstermaker talk with Brea staff from the Brea Fire Department, Brea Resource Center and Brea Senior Center to learn about the different opportunities to give back during the holiday season, as well as year-round. Hear about the “Fired Up for Giving” toy drive put on by the Brea Fire Department (0:57), the “Adopt-a-Family” and the “Wish Tree” programs through the Brea Resource Center, the many food distributio...

Aimée Matsumoto sits down with Brea Deputy City Clerk Victoria Popescu to discuss the process, regulations and important dates of Brea’s municipal elections. Victoria gives us an inside look into when and how Brea holds its elections and what role the City Clerk’s Office plays (1:47), the critical steps, dates and deadlines throughout the election cycle (3:05), campaign contribution and political sign rules and regulations (7:40), ...

Listen in as Mayor Christine Marick and Brea’s Executive Staff present the 2024 State of the City. City Manager Bill Gallardo and Deputy City Managers Jason Killebrew and Kristin Griffith give the latest updates regarding the Brea Mall Redevelopment Project, the City Budget (2:22), and a General Plan Update (5:04). Fire Chief Mark Terrill and Chief of Police Adam Hawley also discuss the future of public safety (6:29). Lastly, the M...

Dan Fenstermaker and Brea Chief of Police Adam Hawley analyze the evolution of technological advancements in law enforcement, and where the Brea Police Department is headed. Hear about the history of body-worn recording devices (5:33), license plate readers (11:18), the implementation of a drone program (15:44) and the creation of Brea’s Integrated Crime Center (28:17).

For more information, visit BreaPD.com

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Liz Pharis talks with Brea’s City Manager Bill Gallardo. Learn about the specific roles of Brea’s top officials and how they work together (1:37), how Brea advocates for the community at higher levels of government (6:04), how Bill got his start in public service (8:41), and what he sees as personal goals for the present and near future (14:15).

This episode of Brea talks is brought to you by the Brea Line newsletter.  BREA Lin...

Andrea Carvajal chats with Brea Gallery Director Katie Chidester about the history of the Gallery (1:54), what goes into putting on an exhibition (3:57), how art is chosen to be shown in the Gallery (12:00), how long the process of an exhibition takes (15:01), and what makes the Made in California Exhibit so special (16:56). 

This episode of Brea talks is brought to you by the Brea Line newsletter.  BREA Line is now a fully dig...

Aimée Matsumoto talks with the City of Brea’s Environmental Services Coordinator Brian Ingallinera about the City’s storm drain system. Learn about when efforts to protect storm run-off began (2:27), the differences between storm drains and sewers (4:45), and what you can do to help keep our water shed healthy (7:22).

This episode of Brea talks is brought to you by the Brea Line newsletter.  BREA Line is now a fully digital int...