A New Community Engagement Program
The City of Brea will be offering a new community engagement program, Engage Brea, Understanding Your City. This is a six-week program, hosted by the City, in partnership with California State University, Fullerton Professor Scott Spitzer, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Political Science. Each week, participants will receive an overview of Brea’s local government framework to provide a general understanding of City of Brea operations, departments, and external agencies that interact with the community. This program is an excellent opportunity for members of Brea’s community to become more involved, get acquainted with City business, activities, and developments, or just want to learn more about how Brea’s City government is organized and managed.
Participants will meet once per week on Wednesdays, beginning on April 6 through May 11, from 6-7:30 p.m. Applications for this program will be available on the City’s website beginning on Monday, February 28 for Brea residents, and on Monday, March 7 for non-residents. Space is limited to 25 participants, please apply early. For more information about this program, please visit cityofbrea.net/engagebrea.
City Hall Staff Serving the Community
Roger Carbajal is the new Administrative Intern for the Community Development Department and is excited about interacting with Brea's community. Roger shared the following details about himself as a friendly introduction. He enjoys the outdoors, particularly off-road adventures. Roger has a passion for architecture and planning, which are the fields he is pursuing a career in. In fact, he is currently studying at Cal Poly Pomona under the Urban Planning Program. He is interested in learning more about Brea to continue expanding the service and knowledge he provides. He is looking forward to meeting and serving many members of the community and is excited to be a part of Brea’s team.
Brea Gallery Call-for-Art
The Brea Gallery’s annual call-for-art closed on February 18 with an overwhelming 3,604 pieces of art submitted. Each year, the Gallery invites artists from all over the state of California to submit their artwork for consideration for the Made in California Juried Exhibition, which accepts about 100 pieces of work. All Brea residents get one free entry each year.
Gallery staff created an in-house marketing campaign that ran from October to February, building partnerships with print magazines, art industry websites, professional art groups, custom social media ads, and contests. The goal of the marketing campaign was to grow the reach and exposure of the Gallery in regions all over the state. It also made the call-for-art a more competitive process, with a broader cross-section of perspectives and artistic voices.
The curatorial staff, Gallery Director Heather Bowling, and Guest Juror Juliana Rico will review and score all 3,604 submissions, working towards putting together a blockbuster exhibit.
Community Compost Giveaway
The City of Brea and Republic Services co-sponsored another successful compost giveaway for Brea residents on Saturday, February 19 at Tri-City Park. This year was Brea’s busiest compost event yet with approximately 400 Brea residents and families participating. Residents brought their own containers to receive up to 60 gallons of free compost per household. In all, nearly fifty cubic yards, which is about a semi-truck load, of compost was shoveled, loaded, and sent home with residents. Educational materials were also provided informing residents of home composting, upcoming food waste recycling, recycling trends, and bulky item disposal, to name a few. Thank you to Republic Services, and O.C. Supervisor Doug Chaffee’s office, for their participation in the event. Residents excitedly shared their plans for the compost, expressed their thanks, and left with smiles on their faces.
Movie Under the Stars, The Parent Trap
The City hosted its third Movies Under the Stars at the Brea Civic & Cultural Center Plaza on Saturday, February 12. As an added attraction, the Brea Gallery also had arts and crafts tables set up and the community was welcome to enjoy the exhibit and an arts and craft project prior to the showing of the film.
Thanks to a partnership for this event with Sheila Buonauro Realty Team, and Ambassador Church for the use of their projector and sound equipment, a great movie night was provided to all in attendance.
Cotton candy, popcorn, and drinks were also available for purchase at the Curtis Theater. The attendance averaged over 100 participants of all ages who seemed to like this film. The next Movies Under the Stars, Legally Blonde, is scheduled for March 12, and Goonies will show on April 9.
Speed Hump Installation
The first week of February, the Public Works Department placed two new speed humps in the City. One was on Balsa Avenue, and the other one on Cliffwood Avenue. The following week, pavement markings and sign upgrades were installed completing the speed hump installation phase as part of the Cliffwood traffic calming measures.