Case of the Year
On July 11, 2022, officers and detectives responded to the 7-11 on Lambert Road, regarding a possible gunshot victim. When officers arrived, they found the store clerk down, with a gunshot wound. Unfortunately, the store clerk was deceased. Detectives immediately began investigating this incident as a homicide. Detectives quickly learned the suspects involved had gone on a crime spree that culminated in a total of three homicides, several shootings, and additional robberies, across several Southern California counties. Over the next four days detectives poured over numerous leads, and with the assistance of the ATF Violent Crime Task Force, arrested two subjects for murder.
On August 3, Brea Police Detectives, along with Santa Ana Police Detectives, were given the prestigious "Case of the Year" award by the Orange County Homicide Investigator's Association. This award is given once a year, recognizing detectives for their tenacity and commitment to a case. We are very proud of all the hard work on this case by everyone involved!
Brea Firefighter Recruits & Promotions
Join me in congratulating our eight firefighter recruits who officially graduated from our department’s fire academy. In addition, I’d like to congratulate newly promoted Captain Brad Brown and Engineer Ryan Greco. These two gentlemen worked very hard through the testing process, and are very deserving of their promotions. Congratulations to the Fire Department!
Art Collection Map
Brea’s Art in Public Places has a brand-new Collection Map. The Brea Arts Division wanted to create an interactive and informative experience for the community. The new, interactive map is easy to navigate in order to find sculptures around Brea. The images on the map also provide information about the artist and description of the art. These changes will allow our community to learn more about each art piece and enjoy this program even more.
Traffic Signal Knock Down
On July 20, 2023, the traffic signal cabinet, located on the northeast corner of Randolph Avenue and Brea Mall West, was taken out by a distracted driver. The City’s Signal Maintenance Contractor, Team Econolite, was contacted, made temporary repairs to the cabinet, and had the signals operational within a couple of hours. The new replacement cabinet has been ordered and will be installed in September.
Arts & Cultural Visioning Sessions
Work has commenced on the City’s first-ever Cultural Arts Master Plan. A community-based Steering Committee began their work in late July and has been regularly meeting. A kickoff meeting was led by the consultant team, Arts Orange County, and included visioning discussions on the future of the arts in Brea with the Steering Committee. In the coming months there will be several opportunities for community input including, community workshops, online surveys, and more. We look forward to hearing about the community’s goals and priorities for arts and culture in the coming months.
A community workshop is already set for the end of September. Attendees will be able to brainstorm about the arts and cultural programs and services they feel would benefit the Brea community. These Arts and Cultural visioning sessions will be available in English, Korean, and Spanish at the Brea Civic & Cultural Center at 6:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, September 26 in English
• Wednesday, September 27 in English and Korean
• Thursday, September 28 in English and Spanish
Bigbelly Containers
Funded by the Beverage Container Recycling Grant from CalRecycle, the City of Brea recently purchased a Bigbelly. This smart trash and recycling unit was installed in front of the Brea Community Center on August 22. This is the first Bigbelly installed in the City, but it is a popular unit that has been seen throughout streets, parks, and other high-traffic areas worldwide. The installation of this trash and recycling unit is a great benefit to the City of Brea as it eliminates windblown litter, reduces scavenging, and overall creates greater efficiency in waste and recycling collection.
City of Brea Merchandise
The Brea Gallery is selling exclusive City of Brea merchandise in their Gift Shop. The community can show off their “Brea pride” by purchasing a City of Brea landmark mug, featuring wrap-around, line-art illustrations of favorite local landmarks, such as the Brea Civic & Cultural Center, Historic City Hall Park, the Brea Plunge, Brea Downtown and more! Also, for sale are “Beautiful Brea” circle stickers in three color choices. The stickers are made of thick, durable vinyl. And only while supplies last, a seasonal summer 2023 sticker sheet. This sticker set features an “I Love Brea” state license plate in the 1982-1987 Art Deco style and a National Parks inspired Brea Plunge badge sticker.
Stop by the Gallery to shop, Wednesday through Sunday noon to 5:00 p.m., or shop online and schedule a pick up anytime!
Tropical Storm Hilary
On August 20, 2023, California was hit with a major storm from the aftermath of Hurricane Hilary. Roughly 2.68 inches of rain fell over the City of Brea in a very short amount of time. Public Works was very prepared with cleaning major catch basins and storm drains before, during and after the storm. Sand bags were available at the City Service Center (Yard) and Fire Stations to residents. Public Works had staff monitoring the City around the clock until Hilary blew through on Monday morning. Brea had no flooding; however, a significant number of trees were knocked down and the Public Works Department stepped up with the clean-up. Brea Public Works is always on top of whatever the situation is and takes pride in our community.