Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/author/ngerda/)
Nick covers the city of Santa Ana, as well as the County of Orange, often reporting on issues like homelessness, public safety, mental health, and the role of money in politics. Since joining Voice of OC in 2011, Nick has regularly shed light on topics that are often kept in the shadows. He’s reported on systemic problems in the county’s mental health system. He also led a reporting team that produced sophisticated looks at how the Disney corporation campaign contributions influenced recent elections in Anaheim. Nick also revealed evidence of elected leaders using their official powers to apparently pressure government contractors into donating to their election campaigns, in an article that was awarded best news story of the year by the Orange County Press Club. He firmly believes journalism should inform the public and help hold the powerful accountable. An Orange County native, Nick first started covering local government in his mid-teens, before attending Santa Ana College, the American University in Cairo, and UC Irvine, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Languages spoken: English, elementary Spanish, minimal Arabic and minimal Japanese Areas of expertise: Local government, local politics, homelessness, mental health policy, campaign finance, California Public Records Act, Ralph M. Brown Act, County of Orange government, Santa Ana city government and municipal finance.
Residents, some with signs that read “STOP JWA Noise and Pollution,” packed the supervisors’ hearing room and overflow room and at times shouted their opposition to board actions.
County costs are growing faster than revenues, most prominently with the Sheriff’s Department, officials said.
Larry Cabrera’s hiring, and his later contract expansion to $50,000, were not announced by the city or placed on a public City Council agenda. He reportedly was involved in a disputed decision to reject recall paperwork against two City Council members.
South county cities are entitled to litigate before a judge “whose impartiality neither the parties nor the public have a reasonable basis to question,” the ruling states.
ACLU lawyers say the county has a host of illegal and unconstitutional policies and practices that stifle public information and debate. A judge now will decide if officials are breaking the law and whether to block their policies.
Former District Attorney Tony Rackauckas quietly decided last year to not have prosecutors tell defense attorneys about 10 sheriff deputies suspected of lying about or concealing records about jail informants.
Some officials praised the proposal, while others first want a “comprehensive plan” for the full property that could include a university extension site, student housing, a mental health campus, and market-rate housing.
Officials have so far declined to say what happened leading up to Anthony Aceves’ death, who discovered him unconscious, and who was with him when he was found.
The so-far unexplained death of Anthony Acevez is drawing interest from two county supervisors, in response to the man’s mother publicly asking for answers.
Last year, as county officials were hauled into federal court over a shortage of homeless shelters, Voice of OC reported the stockpiled mental health funds had reached $186 million beyond the reserves.