FIRE
ORANGE COUNTY FIRE AUTHORITY
SANCE COUT
P.O. Box 57115. Irvine. CA 92619-7115 • 1 Fire Authority Road, Irvine, CA 92602 Brian Fennessy, Fire Chief (714) 573-6000 www.ocfa.org
CALIFORN
AUTHORI
December 4, 2025
Ms. Lisa Kim, City Manager
City of Garden Grove
11222 Acacia Pkwy
Garden Grove, CA 92840
Re: Continuity of Appointee to the OCFA Board of Directors Dear Ms. Kim:
As Chair of the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) Board of Directors, I am writing to request your assistance in the coming months when OCFA's member agencies make annual appointments of representatives to the Authority's Board
Presently, each Director serves on the OCFA Board until the selection of a successor by the appointing body. As part of our ongoing efforts to foster effective governance of the OCFA, we would like to retain continuity of Director Brietigam serving on the Board and minimize turnover to the extent possible. With an operating budget of over half a billion dollars, over 1,500 employees, four labor associations, and the operation of 78 fire stations, the issues we face are myriad and complex. The learning curve is steep to become familiar with the organizational structure, its operations and finances, and the types of policies and issues that come before the Board.
We recognize that regional board appointments are considered holistically and serve to support the overall needs of the organization. However, as Chair, I'm seeking support from our member agencies to minimize voluntary changes made to our Board appointees such as those that can occur in January when most of our cities and the County reorganize the leadership of their governing bodies and make a variety of committee appointments.
We would appreciate your assistance in discussing and sharing this with the members of your City Council. If you have any questions, please contact me at (714) 363-6063 or Chief Fennessy at (714) 573-6010.
Sincerely,
PhOB
Phil Bacerra
Chair, OCFA Board of Directors
cc: George Brietigam III, OCFA Board of Directors
Brian Fennessy, Fire Chief
Serving the Cities of: Aliso Viejo • Buena Park • Cypress • Dana Point • Garden Grove • Irvine • Laguna Hills • Laguna Niguel • Laguna Woods • Lake Forest • La Palma • Los Alamitos • Mission Viejo • Rancho Santa Margarita • San Clemente • San Juan Capistrano • Santa Ana • Seal Beach • Stanton Tustin • Villa Park • Westminster • Yorba Linda • and Unincorporated Areas of Orange County
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