Senior Christmas Celebration
The 2024 Brea Senior Center Christmas Celebration was the largest celebration to date with 400 seniors in attendance. This year’s event was held at the Brea Improv and catered by Reunion Kitchen + Drink restaurant. Guests were served, by one of our 50 volunteers, a delicious three course holiday meal. The always entertaining Stone Soul band had everyone on their feet dancing and celebrating the holiday season. Attendees had opportunities to win raffle prizes and each senior received a special cash gift.
This event would not be possible without the generous donations from Dwight Manley, Brea Improv, Reunion Kitchen + Drink, Brea Firefighters Association, Brea Police Association, Police Management Association, Brea Korea Sister City Association, and Bill & Margaret Higgins. Thank you to all those who made this event a very merry one!
The HOPE Center
The City of Brea and The HOPE Center have partnered in a street homeless outreach program. The HOPE Center is designed as a centralized hub for street homeless outreach workers and their specialized resources to deploy in real time.
Their staff have been working in conjunction with the Brea Resource Center and the Brea Police Department. The HOPE Center functions as a regional response, integrating data and centralizing resources, to street homeless individuals in our communities. Coordinating multi-disciplinary and multi-jurisdictional agencies, The HOPE Center aligns the collaborative interests with a common agenda to manage street homelessness.
If you see someone in need of resources, we encourage you to call The HOPE Center at (657) 243-1884. Live dispatch is currently available Monday - Friday 7:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. You can leave a message and they will respond to you the following business day. To speak to a live person, please call OC Links at (855) 625-4657, they are available 24/7.
New E-Bike Ordinance in Effect
The Brea City Council adopted a new e-bike ordinance that took effect earlier this year. The intent of the ordinance is to focus enforcement on reckless or destructive behaviors, as well as actions that pose a danger to the shared use of streets and trails by pedestrians and vehicles. The ordinance covers all “electronic mobility devices” (e-bikes, mobility devices, motorized scooters, skateboards, and pocket bikes) and aligns with the City’s existing regulations for bicycles, skateboards, and roller skates that include wearing an approved helmet every time and obey the same rules of the road as motor vehicles. The ordinance calls for violators to be fined, but also gives the Brea Police Department the option to refer juvenile offenders and their parents to e-bike educational programs in lieu of paying a fine.
The e-bike ordinance is in response to an Orange County Grand Jury report which highlighted the lack of established regulations for e-bike use in the county. In response, the City of Brea and the Brea Olinda Unified School District collaborated to address the recommendations. Following the approach used for most traffic-related issues, a three-pronged strategy was developed with focus on education, engineering, and enforcement. With the primary focus on education, more information will be available in the spring.
Angel Tree & Adopt-a-Senior Program
Brea Senior Center’s Angel Tree and Adopt-a-Senior programs made an incredible impact this holiday season bringing joy and a sense of community to those in need. Through a collaboration with the Brea Mall, case management staff provided gifts to 96 older adults in Brea donated by Brea staff, the community, local businesses and organizations. Gift recipients receive assistance throughout the year through senior case management services.
The Senior Center Case Management Team would like to extend its sincere gratitude to the community, Brea Mall, Brea Police Department, Brea Community Services staff, Brea Methodist Church, Wescom Bank, Stable Home Health, and the dedicated senior center volunteers who help make this possible and the holiday season brighter for those who needed it most.
Brea Fire Debuts Ambulance Program
Earlier this month, the Brea Fire Department launched its own in-house ambulance service program. Rather than contracting with a private ambulance company, the fire department owns and operates ambulances out of Brea Fire Stations 2 and 3. In addition, the ambulance operators who drive the ambulances, also known as EMTs, are City employees. This service model, that appears no different to the public, has many community benefits. It will improve the department’s oversight of training and hiring practices, and also lead to enhanced customer service by maintaining a high level of control over the quality of services provided. Additionally, this program creates a potential hiring pool, which is an added benefit to the fire department’s staffing needs. The billing portion will continue to be provided through a separate third-party contractor.
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Created with an image by Fabio - "Electric bikes for rent in a city"