Phil Brigandi

Phil Brigandi has been researching and writing local history since 1975, and is the author of more than two dozen books and hundreds of articles on the history of Orange, Riverside, and San Diego counties in Southern California.

A native of Orange, he has a special love for the history of his hometown, and published the first full-length history of the city in 1997. He has also published histories of the communities of Borrego Springs and Temecula. Among his other special interests are the Anza-Borrego Desert, the Riverside/San Diego County backcountry, and the Ramona Myth, including the annual Ramona Pageant, which he was associated with from 1980 to 2013.

In more recent years, he has focused more and more on the history of Orange County, California, and in 2006 published "Orange County Place Names A to Z." In 2018 he launched his own Orange County history website -- www.ochistoryland.com.

He wrote his first book at age 18, the same year he joined the Board of Directors of the Orange Community Historical Society. He also served on the Orange County Historical Commission from 1984-89. He has been active with the Orange County Historical Society, the Hemet Area Museum Association, the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association, the E Clampus Vitus, and the Los Angeles Corral of The Westerners.

He enjoys exploring Southern California both historically and on foot, as a hiker and backpacker. He has served as a Scout leader, on summer camp staff, and as youth director at his church.