Residents with medical conditions say the new policy means their voice will no longer be heard at the supervisors’ public meetings because it’s too risky to go in person.
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 inOutdoors
One of OC’s Most Popular Parks is Up for Big Changes; Some City Officials Have Concerns
Mile Square Regional Park is up for a revamp that would shift 93 acres of golf course into a nature camp, play area, amphitheater, meadow and other uses. City officials say there wasn’t enough public input, while the county says it already did major outreach.
Posted inGovernment
Orange County Supervisors’ Chairman Could Get More Say Over Delaying Action Items
The changes would grant the chair the sole power to let supervisors delay or delete an agenda item that they’ve already delayed or deleted once before.
Posted inGovernment
Will Orange County’s Top Politicians Use Redistricting to Protect Their Own Re-Elections?
Questions are mounting about whether county supervisors are aiming to engineer safer re-elections for themselves by jettisoning parts of their district that didn’t vote for them, and adding in areas that are more favorable at the ballot box.
Posted inCountywide
COVID Vax Food Cards for Homeless People Are Up for Retroactive Approval Tuesday
Hundreds of the cards have been handed out in recent months, and the program is only now going to supervisors for public approval.
Posted inSafety, Security & Justice
Here’s What OC Sheriff Staff Violated in the Last Couple Years, According to Their Department
Internal sheriff records obtained by Voice of OC are opening up a window into hundreds of sustained policy violations by Sheriff’s Department staff – ranging from excessive force to mishandling evidence, dishonesty and burglary.
Posted inPolitics & Elections
OC Halts Controversial Term Limit Extension Measure, Saying it’s Now Illegal Under State’s New Recall Ballot Law
The county’s elections chief plans to halt work on putting the measure on the upcoming governor recall ballot, after the state passed a law banning local measures from that ballot.
Posted inCountywide
OC Supervisors Term Limit Extension Push Imperiled by New Law Signed by Gov. Newsom
A new state law blocks any new local ballot measures on Gov. Newsom’s upcoming recall election.
Posted inGovernment
Why Does the Sheriff Destroy Misconduct Files After 5 Years?
Thanks to a recent state law, the public now has a right to see investigation files about police officers who were found to have committed serious misconduct. But if you ask the OC Sheriff’s Department for anything older than a few years, you’re largely out of luck.
Posted inGovernment
Is Sacramento About to Block OC Supervisors from Putting Term Limits Extension on the Recall Ballot?
State legislators are moving to ban local ballot measures from the upcoming recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
