The hearing comes as supervisors decide what to replace their existing civilian oversight agency with.
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 inGovernment, Health & Wellness, News Briefs, Top Stories
Supervisors Start Preparing for Possibility That Ethics Commission Passes in 2016
The measure will likely pass if it makes it onto the ballot, according to supervisors’ Chairman Todd Spitzer.
Posted inGovernment, Santa Ana, Top Stories
Confederate Flag Controversy Prompts Plan to Replace State Flags at OC Civic Center
The move stems from last month’s mass shooting in Charleston, South Carolina. Final approval is expected Thursday.
Posted inGovernment, Huntington Beach, Top Stories
Records Detail County’s Handling of Dog That Attacked Pregnant Woman
The documents reveal the severity of an earlier attack by the dog and conflicting opinions by county officials as to whether he should have been declared vicious.
Posted inSanta Ana, Top Stories
Federal Grand Jury Investigating Santa Ana Police Beating Case
The move comes amid a U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation into the June 2014 beating and arrest of Edgar Vargas-Arzate, which the FBI has described as an assault by officers.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, News Briefs, Top Stories
New Top County Attorney Promises to Get Moving on Disclosure Review
Incoming County Counsel Leon Page said this week that his office will be moving forward with the “comprehensive review” of employees’ financial disclosure requirements that was ordered four months ago but hasn’t yet begun.
Posted inGovernment, News Briefs, Top Stories
Gadfly’s Seinfeld Sex Joke Not Funny to Supervisors
Saying he was offended by a commenter who referenced an off-color scene from one of the TV show’s episodes, Supervisor Andrew Do asked his colleagues to enact a policy to further restrict speakers.
Posted inGovernment, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
County’s Juvenile Hall Population Dropping Along With Crime Rate
The number of youths incarcerated has fallen dramatically in recent years. Officials and advocates cite softening drug laws and initiatives like restorative justice as reasons for the decline.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, Top Stories
What Happened With Spitzer’s Order on Financial Interest Disclosures?
Supervisors Chairman Todd Spitzer ordered a “comprehensive review” of who on the county payroll must file annual disclosures of their financial interests. Did he get it?
Posted inEducation, Government, Health & Wellness, Huntington Beach, Top Stories
County Health Officials Remain Under Fire for Trash Dump Near School
Health Care Agency leaders are refusing to formally investigate a trash dump adjacent to one of Huntington Beach’s most impoverished elementary schools despite repeated claims by school officials that bird droppings and odors from the dump are making children sick.
