The Morongo Valley Community Services District will split up the joint position of General Manager and Fire Chief of the Morongo Valley Department, currently held by Chief James Brakebill.
As part of the public agenda for the upcoming meeting released on Sunday (January 14), the CSD is expected to split the position, offering Brakebill the opportunity to continue as Fire Chief, and promoting the CSD’s Administrative Coordinator Brittany Chavez to the General Manager position.
The joint status of these two roles has been a major consideration for the CSD, which oversees the Morongo Valley Fire Department along with Covington Park. Prior to Chief Brakebill’s tenure in the joint position, a previous General Manager/Fire Chief faced accusations of creating a hostile workplace for firefighters. Since that employee left the fire station, several CSD Directors and members of the community have questioned whether the joint position has too much power and too little oversight. The issue has fallen to the wayside for most of 2023, which proved to be a dramatic one for the CSD Board.
The CSD has held several closed sessions during which they have met with Brakebill in closed session under the premise of reviewing Brakebill and his position, though no reportable action came from these sessions.
Brakebill and Chavez are expected to be offered their new roles at this Wednesday’s 6 p.m. meeting of the Morongo Valley CSD at Covington Park. Tune in to Z1077 tomorrow for a closer look at the Board’s full agenda.
