Two key candidates are continuing to resist calls from their party to coalesce around Moorlach, who was endorsed by the county GOP.
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 inHuntington Beach
Battle Heats Up to Represent Coastal Cities on Orange County’s Board of Supervisors
Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley becomes the first Democrat to jump into the race, which also has drawn three Republican candidates.
Posted inEmergencies & Disasters
Silverado Canyon Burns Again As Bond Fire Erupts Under High Winds
Evacuation zones for the rapidly-growing Bond Fire are being expanded to thousands more residents in communities near Orange County’s inland canyons, as Orange County’s third major wildfire of the season burns south from the canyon community of Silverado.
Posted inLos Alamitos
Who Will Represent Orange County’s Coast on the Board of Supervisors?
Three Republicans are in: former Supervisor John Moorlach and city officials like Mike Posey and Kevin Muldoon. No Democrats have announced runs.
Posted inCountywide
Orange County Mixed on Enforcing Gov. Newsom’s Curfew and Mask Orders
Sheriff Don Barnes questions their constitutionality, while Santa Ana, Irvine, and Costa Mesa police may enforce.
Posted inAliso Viejo
Orange County Reveals A Slice of How It Spent Federal Coronavirus Relief Money
Voice of OC keeps asking where the $554 million in taxpayer money went. Some answers are starting to emerge.
Posted inCountywide
How is Orange County Spending its Half-Billion Dollars in Coronavirus Relief Money?
County officials haven’t released details of how it’s been spent, but they say it’s made a big difference in the lives of residents.
Posted inCanyons
Orange County Sheriff’s Department Seeks Spike in Car Impound Fees
Fees would increase from $50 to $144. Officials say it’s to recover costs while opponents say it will hurt the working poor.
Posted inSanta Ana
Orange County Moves its Largest Homeless Shelter Starting Around the New Year
A new, larger county shelter in Santa Ana to replace the current open-air bus terminal shelter in the city’s Civic Center.
Posted inFullerton
Republicans Flip Second OC Congressional Seat as Young Kim Defeats Gil Cisneros
Kim campaigned on supporting small businesses during the pandemic and lowering taxes and health care costs.
