Fresh {AIR} and Closing Through the Dreamhouse
Earlier this month, visitors to the Brea Gallery were greeted by multidisciplinary artist Amanda Rowan for the very first Fresh {AIR} Artist in Residence of 2024. For one weekend during each exhibit, the gallery invites artists to showcase their skills while patrons observe, ask questions, and enjoy the experience of learning about the artist’s process. This program is titled Fresh {AIR} with AIR as an acronym for artist-in-residence. Through richly styled vignettes, Amanda Rowan’s work explores domestic labor and gender using a mix of visual iconography, including food advertising, vintage pinup and religious deities.
Brea Gallery’s exhibit Through the Dreamhouse closed March 22. Curated in-house by Gallery Director Katie Chidester, thirteen artists were handpicked and invited to explore themes of the home and domestic spaces through many mediums. Each artwork was a unique view of humanity’s relationship with our houses and relationships to nostalgia and design. Thank you to the visitors who visited and enjoyed this exhibit.
The Gallery is currently closed to the public as staff returns art and repairs walls, in preparation for the fan favorite annual exhibition Made in California opening on April 27.
Brea Business Spotlight
The City of Brea would like to highlight recent additions to the business community.
Hapa Bakery
Celebrate Women’s History Month with a seasonal cupcake from Hapa Bakery, a women-owned small business now located in Downtown Brea. Hapa Bakery takes pride in crafting artisanal cakes, gourmet cookies, and their renowned alcohol-infused cupcakes. Founded by two lifelong friends, their shared entrepreneurial spirit inspired the unique fusion of flavors palpable in their desserts. Hapa’s treats are baked from scratch daily, enticing guests to taste exclusive seasonal cupcakes and a variety of flavors – while supplies last.
Katsu Bar
Katsu Bar, located in Brea Gateway Plaza, is a recent addition to the Brea community. Katsu is a Japanese dish consisting of breaded cutlets. This establishment offers a variety of katsu meals inspired by Japanese and Korean comfort food. Guests can add katsu to curry dishes, Korean rice cakes, udon noodles and more. Their katsu breading is infused with gourmet rosemary salt, making it a healthier alternative to traditional breadcrumbs. Originating in Los Angeles, Katsu Bar has become known for its elegant yet casual atmosphere, where guests can enjoy a delicious meal.
Compost Giveaway Event
In preparation of the spring and summer seasons, the City of Brea and Republic Services hosted the annual Compost Giveaway Event on Saturday, February 24 at Tri City Park. Compost is a great addition to gardens since it enriches the soil, retains water, and reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.
50 cubic yards of free compost was available for Brea residents. Over 200 cars lined up to scoop this valuable gardening material.
Although this is an annual event, the City periodically stages pallets of free, bagged compost at the Brea Sports Park throughout the year. Follow the City of Brea on social media to find out when the next compost event is.
New Online Permit Center
In order to further enhance the City’s customer service, a new Online Permit Center was launched this month. This new feature allows applicants to submit, review and track their project’s progress through the Online Permit Center. The Online Permit Center successfully establishes a streamlined permitting portal by efficiently digitalizing the development review and building inspection process. Applicants can directly submit a permit application and make payments online, eliminating delays caused by processing times, paperwork, and manual data entry. Businesses and residents can access the portal on web-based devices, such as phones or tablets, making it convenient for applicants to track their progress anywhere and anytime.
The Permit Center offers City staff an additional mechanism to cultivate strong connections with businesses and residents. By providing status updates, the Online Permit Center enhances transparency and promotes business vitality through improved communication between City staff and applicants. The added service further enriches the City's notable customer service framework – a bonus incentive for business attraction and retention. Near future stages of this project are anticipated to include additional features, such as online scheduling for building inspections and an automated residential solar permit system available 24/7.
The Online Permit Center is part of the City’s Accela software. In 2017, the Brea City Council approved the purchase of Accela as a new land management system. Accela is a cloud-based software system, incorporating Brea’s GIS mapping, electronic permitting, inspections, account tracking, and central project documentation in a streamlined software solution. By utilizing the Online Permit Center, City staff from Building and Safety, Planning, Engineering, Community Services, and Fire have transitioned from paper to a digital plan review process.
Community Development department staff are eager to provide the new Online Permit Center as a benefit to residents, businesses, contractors, developers, architects and engineers.
Spring Craft Boutique
The Spring Craft Boutique, an annual two-day event, was held on March 15 and 16 at the Brea Community Center. There were many customers and community members who stopped by to shop at the boutique. The boutique featured a variety of vendors, selling one-of-a-kind seasonal and year-round gifts, décor, jewelry, tasty goodies and much more. This event brings out the community to shop local, and support the entrepreneurs in the area.
New Recycling Containers
The City of Brea is revamping its City facilities recycling program by implementing new containers to comply with state mandated recycling requirements under Senate Bill 1383. New recycling containers will be placed throughout the Brea Civic & Cultural Center, Brea Community Center and other City facilities. With containers available inside and outdoors, Brea community members have the opportunity to recycle when visiting these locations.
Remember to properly dispose of your waste in the appropriately labeled containers.
Welcome to the Team
Anthony Luna recently joined the Community Development Department as an Administrative Intern. He graduated from Grand Canyon University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and a minor in Sports Management. He previously interned with the City of Anaheim’s Economic Development Department. In addition to his internship with the City of Brea, he will also be working as a part-time Council Aide for the City of Anaheim.
Anthony is the youngest of three siblings and grew up in Anaheim. Prior to his current role, he coached football for his alma mater, Loara High School, which was part of the 2021 Division 14 CIF Championship. Anthony loves sports, with football being his favorite sport. He is an Angels fan born and bred. Welcome, Anthony!