For years, Orange County has had a backlog of evidence from alleged sexual assaults, collected from victims yet not tested to identify the possible attacker.
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 inCountywide
Deputy’s False Police Report Charge Came After Mountain of Testimony to Grand Jury
A probe into false statements by OC sheriff’s deputies escalated this summer, with a grand jury hearing testimony from a wide-ranging list of sheriff’s officials before indicting a deputy with a felony for filing a false police report.
Posted inCountywide
OC Supervisor Andrew Do Accused of Residency Fraud Again as He Runs for Re-Election
A new complaint to the Attorney General claims Do has been living in the 3rd District, despite serving as 1st District supervisor and stating in paperwork that he lives at a smaller home in the 1st District.
Posted inCountywide
False Report Charges Against OC Deputies Prompt Ethics Questions
A flurry of recent felony charges against OC sheriff’s deputies – including falsifying police reports – is prompting questions about honesty and integrity lapses within the department.
Posted inCountywide
Hacking, Mail-In Ballot Security, and Other Questions Answered by OC’s Elections Chief
Voice of OC put questions about election security directly to the man in charge of making sure the election is secure and accurate.
Posted inCountywide
Questions Continue to Swirl Around Orange County Health Director’s Qualifications
Questions have been swirling about whether Clayton Chau is qualified to be the top medical doctor protecting the health of the county’s 3 million residents.
Posted inCountywide
Mobile Fingerprint Scanners to Be Distributed to OC Law Enforcement Under New Program
Orange County police and sheriff’s deputies will have the ability to run fingerprints in the field among people they’re arresting or detaining.
Posted inCountywide
In Scathing Report, OC Grand Jury Describes Shackles During Birthing, Care Delays in Custody
Medical records allegedly show a cooperative prisoner was improperly shackled while giving birth to a stillborn baby in a hospital.
Posted inCountywide
OC Preparing to Buy 3 Motels for Homeless Housing; Locations Are Secret for Now
OC officials are in negotiations to buy three motels and convert them into housing for homeless people with on-site support services, while keeping the locations secret for now.
Posted inCountywide
Weeks After OC Opened its Largest Testing Site, Supervisors Order Spanish Translation
County supervisors previously raised no concerns or questions when language barriers were discussed publicly by the health director, Dr. Clayton Chau. But that’s now changing.
