Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at the Curtis Theatre
The Curtis Theatre's production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, in association with Southgate Productions, played ten sold-out performances in February 2025. This show, with music and lyrics by Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil, and a book by Douglas McGrath, tells the story of King's rise from teenage songwriter to legendary composer. Featuring hits like "You've Got a Friend," "One Fine Day," "Up on the Roof," and "So Far Away," the production showcased the impressive catalogue of this songwriting team. Critical acclaim, including "recommended" status from both the Orange Curtain Review and the Orange County Theatre Guild, further highlighted the success of this run.
Business Spotlight
The City of Brea continues to welcome businesses to the community to help with the economic development and future of Brea. Here are two of our newest businesses that recently opened.
The Kebab Shop, now open in the Village at La Floresta, offers traditional fast-casual Mediterranean cuisine. With a menu featuring fresh ingredients, wraps, bowls, and build-your-own plates, plus signature sauces. The Kebab Shop’s dedication to genuine service and a welcoming atmosphere makes it a great location to enjoy a quick bite or a hearty meal.
Sushi Club, located in the Brea Plaza, provides a vibrant dining experience with their quality seafood and expertly crafted dishes. Guests can savor fresh nigiri, handrolls, specialty rolls, uni, bluefin tuna, wagyu, and more. Their bar elevates the experience with Japanese distilled spirits that are featured in signature cocktails, such as the Yuzu Matcha Refresher. Whether you are dining in, ordering takeout, or celebrating a special occasion, Sushi Club offers a delicious taste of Japanese cuisine in Brea.
Spring Craft Boutique
The annual Spring Craft Boutique was held on March 14 and 15, at the Brea Community Center. Many community members attended the event and were able to shop and support a variety of local vendors and small businesses. This event encourages the community to support creative entrepreneurs in the area.
New to the Brea Team
Alexa Jamieson joined the Community Development Department as an Administrative Clerk II in January. With experience in both the public and private sectors, Alexa brings valuable knowledge on a variety of municipal topics, including workers' compensation, solar energy regulations, police and fire services, and child advocacy. Her diverse skillset will support the Building and Safety Division's commitment to providing excellent service to the community.
Alexa holds a bachelor's degree in criminology, Law, and Society from the University of California, Irvine and is pursuing an Associate of Science for Fire Prevention from Santa Ana College. In her spare time, Alexa enjoys hiking, snowboarding, painting, and spending quality time with her loved ones and her dog, Daisy.
Sharon Giang recently joined the Community Development Department as an Administrative Intern. She holds a bachelor's degree in political science from University of California, Davis, and is currently pursuing her Master of Public Administration at California State University, Fullerton. With prior municipal experience in Administrative Services and Community Development, Sharon is eager to apply her skills to support the Brea community. In her spare time, Sharon enjoys hiking, traveling, and cooking new recipes.
Welcome to the City of Brea, Alexa and Sharon!
HR Participates in Job Fairs
The City of Brea’s Human Resources Division recently partnered with the County of Orange Workforce & Economic Development Center to attend two career fair events in January. The first was a Government Jobs hiring event hosted by the County of Orange in partnership with the Employment Development Department (EDD) the OC Workforce Solutions Center. The second career event was hosted by the County of Orange in partnership with 4th District Supervisor Doug Chaffee and in collaboration with the Brea Mall. Each event hosted employers in the government, healthcare, hospitality/tourism, and manufacturing job opportunities, with the second career fair hosting over 60 employers.
Human Resources Technicians Sayra Flores and Alec Gallegos attended both events, where they advertised current openings with the City of Brea. They highlighted upcoming summer recruitments for Community Services and other departments with pending recruitment openings. The HR team provided information to career seekers, which will hopefully increase our candidate pool. We hope to continue our partnership with the County of Orange Workforce & Economic Development Center to attend future events.
Brea Gallery’s 40th Annual Made in California Exhibition
Save the date for Saturday, April 26, 2025 to celebrate the 40th Annual Made in California Juried Exhibition with an opening reception from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. This free event is open to the public and attracts approximately 500 artists, patrons, friends, and family members to the Brea Gallery at the Civic and Cultural Center Plaza each year. There will be live music, food, drinks available for purchase, interactive crafts, and special surprises to commemorate Brea’s commitment to showcasing four decades of contemporary art in California. Featuring artists from all across the state working in a variety of mediums, Made in California is an annual fan favorite.
New Members to the Brea Executive Team
I am excited to share my first appointments as City Manager to two deserving and hard-working individuals. I have appointed Jason Killebrew to be the City of Brea Assistant City Manager/Community Development Director. With this promotion, Jason will continue his role as Community Development Director, but also assist me with City Council matters and with the internal operations of our organization.
Having worked closely with Jason on the Executive Team, it was evident his almost 20 years of local government experience and passion for our organization has prepared him for this new role. Jason first came to Brea as a City Planner in September 2020. He joined the Executive Team as the Community Development Director in November 2021 and was promoted to Deputy City Manager/Community Development Director in August 2024. During his time in Brea, Jason has served as the project manager on a variety of high-level projects, such as Brea 265, the Simon Mall Redevelopment Project, and the 6th Cycle Housing Element, just to name a few.
My promotion to City Manager created a Director vacancy in the Administrative Services Department. I am proud to announce that I have appointed Monica Lo, Administrative Services Deputy Director, to be Brea’s new Administrative Services Director. With nearly 25 years of municipal finance and audit experience, Monica will seamlessly fit into her new Director role.
Monica first came to Brea as the Accounting Financial Services Manager in September 2021. She was then appointed as Deputy Director of Administrative Services and managed the City’s Accounting and Audit, Revenue Management, and Information Technology divisions, including oversight of the City’s general ledger, budget, audit, purchasing, accounts payable, payroll, information technology, investment and banking.
As Brea’s Administrative Services Director, Monica will lead a department that provides a wide range of services to both our residents and internal staff. The department, with five divisions, includes, Administration, Revenue and Budget, Accounting and Auditing, Purchasing, and Information Technology.
Please join me in congratulating both Jason and Monica. I look forward to working closely with them both.