Brea Talks

Dan Fenstermaker chats with Fire Marshal Nicole Pesqueira of the Brea Fire Department and Aerial Support Officer Ryan Klug of the Brea Police Department. Hear about how fire season is now more year round than a specific period of time (1:42). Learn about best practices regarding barbecuing, campfires, bonfires, and fire pits (3:57), things to consider when using your air conditioning (11:25), and...

Liz Pharis welcomes back Brea Assistant City Manager and Community Development Director Jason Killebrew to discuss the process of development in a city. Learn about the role of the Community Development Director within an agency (2:17), the role of a city as it relates to property rights and fostering growth as well as community needs (6:18), the communication aspect between property owners, devel...

Aimée Matsumoto sits down with Community Services Supervisor Billy Hutchinson and Community Services Specialist Jovi Negos to discuss all things summer. Hear great information about Brea’s aquatics program (2:47), sports programs, volunteen opportunities (4:54), important registration dates (6:34), and the wide variety of contract classes the City offers throughout the summer (7:50). Also, learn a...

Andrea Carvajal welcomes two guests from Brea's Planning Division, Brea's new City Planner Maribeth Tinio and Brea's Senior Planner Jessica Newton. Learn about what a General Plan is and the history behind this document in Brea (2:15), when this latest update began (5:25), and what is next regarding the General Plan (7:28). Then learn about Brea's Core Specific Plan (), where t...

Dan Fenstermaker sits down with Investigator Mike Janetzke of the Brea Police Department to discuss all things fraud and scams.  Learn about the evolution of these types of crimes regarding technology (1:40), the dangers of identity theft (2:45), the lengths that scammers go to get your money (7:51) the psychology behind “cognitive paralysis” (12:56), and what you can do to better protect yourself...

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...

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...

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 bein...

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 a...

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 misconc...

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 proper...

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 pro...

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 construc...

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 E...

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...

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-r...

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...

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 Resourc...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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. ...

Dan Fenstermaker chats with Brea Human Resources Analyst II Michelle Munoz, as they discuss the various aspects of HR (3:40), the importance of good recruitment strategies (6:13), ever-changing workforce trends  (14:45), and what to expect when applying for a position in Brea (25:13). This episode of Brea talks is brought to you by the Brea Line newsletter.  BREA Line is now a fully digital i...