Children’s Hospital of Orange County staff said they’re slammed with new cases, so adult beds elsewhere are being converted to treat kids. RSV typically doesn’t peak until January or February.
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 inSafety, Security & Justice
Orange County’s Most Opaque Election: Superior Court Judges
Judges are among the most powerful officials in Orange County. Yet there’s little information about the people running.
Posted inCOAST
Democrats Poised to Take Majority on OC Board of Supervisors for First Time in Decades
If Katrina Foley’s lead holds, Democrats will have their first majority since the 1970s on the powerful board.
Posted inEducation
Thousands of UC Irvine Grad Student Workers Are on Strike
They’re joining tens of thousands of other grad student workers picketing across the UC system.
Posted inTransportation
OC-San Diego Train Service Will Be Shut Down Even Longer – Possibly Until February
County transportation officials have linked the erosion issues to climate change – and say they might have to move the tracks entirely.
Posted inSafety, Security & Justice
Is Orange County’s DA Hiding Evidence of Racial Bias in Prosecutions?
DA Todd Spitzer is getting sued by the ACLU for withholding records that could show whether there’s racial disparities in how his office pursues cases.
Posted inPolitics & Elections
It’s Neck-and-Neck: Who Will Control the Powerful OC Board of Supervisors?
Democrats have been gaining their lead for a controlling majority as more ballots are counted.
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Democrat Quirk-Silva Pulls Ahead of Republican Soo Yoo in Cliffhanger State Assembly Race
At one point, just two votes out of 68,000 separated the two contenders.
Posted inGovernment
Latest Election Night Results on the High-Stakes OC Supervisor Races
Democrat Katrina Foley had a sizable lead in initial results for the race that will determine which party has a controlling majority. But the lead shrank and vote counting is far from over.
Posted inSafety, Security & Justice
Latest Election Night Results for Orange County’s Next Judge
Democratic Party-endorsed Michele Bell had a sizable lead in initial results. Judges are tasked with administering justice on everything from personal injury lawsuits to murder cases.
