The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to begin the process of choosing an operator for the county’s first permanent homeless shelter. But disagreement remains over whether an emergency shelter should be closed.
Author Archives: Nick Gerda
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.
Posted inCountywide, Economy, Top Stories
OC Home to Another Lawsuit Aimed at Public-Sector Unions
The Orange County Water District is using ratepayer funds to wage a court battle to keep future employees from paying fees to cover collective bargaining representation.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, Top Stories
This Week: Both the Haves and Have Nots on County Agenda
Auditors are slated to release a report on Dana Point Harbor, and county supervisors supervisors address a proposed homeless shelter in Anaheim. Here’s a rundown of what’s coming up.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, Top Stories
Grand Jury: County Officials Derelict in Responding to Reports
Officials say they will implement recommendations by the grand jury, or at least study them further, but apparently end up doing nothing, according to grand jurors.
Posted inGovernment, News Briefs, Top Stories
Supervisor Concerned About County ‘Hitting Up’ Corporate Sponsors
Supervisor Shawn Nelson questioned whether the county’s efforts to attract corporate donations for the animal shelter, libraries and other services will put undue pressure on companies that do business with the county.
Posted inCountywide, Politics & Elections, Top Stories
What We Learned the Day Trump Came to Town
The Voice of OC crew couldn’t resist showing up to GOP presidential candidate Donald J. Trump’s rally at the Orange County Fairgrounds Thursday in Costa Mesa. Here are our takeaways.
Posted inGovernment, News Briefs, Outdoors, Top Stories
Supervisors Vote to Lift Leash Requirement at ‘Dog Beach’
Orange County supervisors took the first step towards repealing a decades-old, and apparently never-enforced, law requiring dogs to be leashed at a popular spot called “Dog Beach.”
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, Top Stories
Months After Scathing Report on Jail Informants, DA Hasn’t Delivered Promised Response
More than three months after a panel of experts outlined steps to fix a “failure of leadership,” District Attorney Tony Rackauckas still hasn’t provided a response to supervisors, which he said in January would take a couple of weeks.
Posted inAnaheim, Countywide, Garden Grove, Government, Top Stories, Transportation
What’s On the Agenda This Week in Orange County
Local policymakers will be deciding on the purchase of Santa Ana’s abandoned bus depot that could help alleviate homelessness, holding a hearing proposed new voting districts in Garden Grove, and weighing in on Donald Trump’s “divisive rhetoric.”
Posted inCountywide, Government, Top Stories
OC’s Rise in Suicides Largest Among Major U.S. Counties
Since the late 1990s, Orange County has had the largest suicide-rate increase among the nation’s 20 most-populous counties, according to a Voice of OC analysis of federal suicide data. County leaders are taken aback by figures.
