It’s the first time in decades that Democrats have two seats on the powerful OC Board of Supervisors – which controls $7 billion in taxpayer spending and oversees everything from public health to homeless services to spending on jails and prosecution.
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 inHousing & Homelessness
Homeless Say They’re in Limbo as OC Preps to End Program That Helps Them Find Shelter and Housing
As encampments balloon during the pandemic, homeless people and advocates say they’re being left in limbo as the county looks at ending its Project Toolbelt assistance program that helps people find – and pay for – shelter and housing.
Posted inSafety, Security & Justice
Orange County’s #1 Most-Prosecuted Crime is Possession of Drug Paraphernalia Such as Meth Pipes
OC sheriff officials wouldn’t disclose data on the most common charges that land people in jail unless Voice of OC paid at least $1,000 for “custom programming.” But OC Superior Court provided similar data for free. Here’s what it showed.
Posted inGovernment
How Will More Than $1 Billion in New Aid Be Spent in OC? And When Will the Public Get to Give Input?
Will the public be brought into the discussion early, or towards the end after the plan has been mostly already decided in private? It’s a key question facing local officials as they prepare to receive a wave of new stimulus money.
Posted inEmergencies & Disasters
Coronavirus Triggered Orange County’s Deadliest Year in Recent Times
Previously unpublished data from county health officials, obtained by Voice of OC, shows Covid was the No. 1 cause of death in Orange County in December and January. In those months, the virus killed more than five times as many people as the next biggest cause, Alzheimer’s.
Posted inSafety, Security & Justice
What Are People Being Jailed for the Most in OC? It’ll Cost You $1,000 to Find Out
Are more people being jailed for assaults? Or drug possession? If you want to find out, it’ll cost you.
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Ex-Prosecutor Peter Hardin Announces He’s Running Against DA Todd Spitzer
Peter Hardin calls the current DA “a walking scandal and an unfit leader.” Spitzer says the newcomer is part of a “pro-criminal agenda” along the lines of George Gascón.
Posted inGovernment
Was OC’s Top Prosecutor Improperly Cleared of Corruption or Not? A Secret Report Could Shed Light
Damon Tucker, who was fired as a DA investigator in December, says he found “overwhelming evidence” DA Todd Spitzer committed serious crimes like money laundering, extortion, and soliciting bribes. Spitzer says it’s all a smear campaign against him. An 11-page memo kept secret by the DA could shed light on what kind of probe looked at Spitzer’s fundraising.
Posted inSafety, Security & Justice
Did OC’s Top Prosecutor Seek Bribes in ‘Pay to Play’ Scheme? A Fired DA Investigator Says There’s ‘Overwhelming’ Evidence; Spitzer Says It’s a Smear Campaign
Damon Tucker, who was fired as a DA investigator in December, says he found “overwhelming evidence” DA Todd Spitzer committed serious crimes like money laundering, extortion, and soliciting bribes. Spitzer says it’s all a smear campaign against him.
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Orange County Democrats Flip Key Supervisors’ Seat, Moorlach Concedes to Foley
It’s the first time in decades that Democrats will have two seats on the powerful board that impacts everything from homelessness to mental health services to the pandemic.
