Orange County has only built 17% of its housing goal for helping homeless people get off the streets – five years after the plan was initiated.
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 inTransportation
8-Year-Old’s Death Prompts Tough Questions For OC Leaders About Failing Kids At Dangerous Intersections
Getting hit by a car while walking or biking is among the most common causes of death for school-age children in Orange County, according to public data.
Posted inSafety, Security & Justice
OC’s Top Elected Officials Declare Systemic Racism and Inequity a Public Health Crisis
The resolution says “systemic racism” and inequities are key drivers of discrimination and harm to people’s physical and emotional health.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Angels Baseball to Get Another $9 Million from Taxpayers to Promote Mental Health
Their effectiveness has been called into question by the chair of the county’s mental health board.
Posted inPolitics & Elections
That’s a Wrap: Orange County’s Election Results Are Finalized. Who Won?
Some of the county’s biggest cities saw extremely tight races.
Posted inTop Stories
Will Orange County Change With Democrats’ New Majority on the Board of Supervisors?
Democrats will have a controlling majority for the first time since the 1970s. But the reality is more complicated.
Posted inTop Stories
OC Supervisors Consider Declaring Systemic Racism and Inequity a Public Health Crisis
The proposed resolution, up for approval Tuesday, says “systemic racism” and inequities are key drivers of discrimination and harm to people’s physical and emotional health.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Orange County Approves Construction of $78 Million Irvine Health Campus With Few Details
County agenda documents say it will feature a public health lab and other facilities, but don’t describe what they’ll do or how they’ll be different from existing facilities in Santa Ana.
Posted inTransportation
Before Election is Finalized, OC Officials to Pick New Transportation Leaders Thursday
Will an Orange Mayor who’s on track to get voted out of office get to keep his OCTA board seat?
Posted inEducation
Why Are Workers Striking Much More Often in Orange County?
Up until recently, labor strikes were fairly uncommon in Orange County. But that’s been changing.
