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Why is the Orange County Firefighters' (OCFA) Union, Local 3631, in conjunction with the Brea Firefighters' union, playing an active--yet clandestine--role in Brea's City Council election?
Should we even care?
If you care--even a little--about the Orange County firefighters union's attempt to manipulate Brea's elections, it should be sufficient cause for concern.
How do unions gain political clout? By influencing elected officials.
How do unions influence elected officials? Through endorsements and supporting election campaigns with cash, fliers, independent mailers, ads in local newspapers and campaign signs.
How and why are the unions meddling in Brea's City Council elections?
First, it's important to state, this blog is not intended to criticize public safety personnel. We fully support and recognize the importance of public safety and acknowledge our police officers' and firefighters' sense of duty, and the essential services they perform for the community. Most public safety personnel do not meddle in local politics; they just perform their jobs professionally and to the best of their ability.
Our intent is to "unveil" how the Brea and Orange County firefighters' union is actively working behind-the-scenes to manipulate Brea's City Council election...and why.
Have the unions endorsed anyone for Brea City Council?
Yes, they have endorsed two candidates (with the OCFA union's involvement), shown on the Brea Firefighters website at: http://breaprofessionalfirefighters.com/
Which raises the question, is union involvement in local politics a good thing for Brea? The intent of this blog is to show you, while it may be a good thing for the unions, it definitely is not a good thing for Brea.
Public safety endorsements are not new to politics. In an election year, all candidates want to be seen as proponents of public safety. 
- What do the Brea and OCFA firefighters' unions hope to gain? Their intent is to elect council members that would be willing to contract with OCFA for fire services and eliminate the Brea Fire Department.
- For the firefighters this is definitely a single issue election; it has very little to do with the long-term well being of the community in every other area.
- Savings associated with the recently reorganized Brea Fire Department show that for the unions, it certainly wasn't about fiscal responsibility as they backed the more expensive plan.
- If their hand-picked candidates win, it would give the firefighters' union a sympathetic Brea council member on the OCFA Governing Board; someone beholden to them because of their campaign support; someone they can influence regarding future OCFA policy decisions including those related to compensation and pensions.
The Unions hope to use this election to eliminate the Brea Fire Department (BFD)
- This is apparent in the Brea firefighters' candidate-questionnaire and supported by the OCFA union's participation in the interviewing of Brea city council candidates.The interviews were held at the Orange County firefighters' (OCFA) union headquarters in Santa Ana, with an interview panel comprised of Brea and OCFA union representatives.
- Why would Brea City Council interviews be held at a union headquarters outside of the City...something which hasn't been done before.
Which raises an even bigger question:
- Why would, Mayor Pro Tem Roy Moore, a sitting Brea council member, who should understand the implications of meeting with OCFA firefighters on their turf, knowingly go to their union headquarters to be interviewed for a Brea Firefighters' endorsement?
It should be pretty clear, that candidate endorsements are predicated on them agreeing to bring the Brea fire department decision back to the Council for yet another vote. For what purpose? It allows the unions time to increase political pressure to contract with OCFA for fire services, without allowing sufficient time to evaluate the new BFD reorganization, even though it is based on a deployment model that is more efficient and more cost effective. In other words, it's all about the unions and their power! 
The BFD Reorganization plan will save the City $6.5 million over five years--while increasing staffing at Station 4 in Carbon Canyon. The OCFA plan saves the City $2.5 million over five years.
Councilmember John Beauman has a monthly blog that provides an overview of the fire decision and BFD reorganization plan. You can go to his blog at: http://www.johnbeauman2.blogspot.com/
Isn't it time for Brea taxpayers to say "NO" to the unions? If not now, then when? If Brea eliminates its fire department and goes with OCFA, it also gives up control of future fire services budgets, including employee pensions. Can the City still be assured of maintaining a balanced general fund budget, especially if the economy doesn't improve?
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