County officials haven’t publicly outlined what they would use the money for, but said they would start describing their plans this coming Tuesday at a county Board of Supervisors meeting.
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, Emergencies & Disasters, Government, Top Stories
OC Officials Push Back on Key Parts of State’s Approach to Pandemic
Top Orange County officials are taking issue with the state’s efforts to create overflow hospital capacity, shelter homeless people in motels, and questioned who will pay for the county’s state-mandated costs.
Posted inCountywide, Emergencies & Disasters, Top Stories
Governor Says Stay-at-Home Orders Could Start to Be Loosened in a Few Weeks
The restrictions will gradually loosen based on six goals, starting with expanding testing capabilities to make it safer for people to return to work, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Posted inCountywide, Emergencies & Disasters, Health & Wellness, Top Stories
Are Orange County Ambulances Ready for a Potential Surge in COVID-19 Patients?
Efforts to lay off ambulance crews elsewhere in California have prompted Orange County officials to highlight statewide concerns about whether ambulance companies will be prepared if there’s a surge in COVID-19 patients. Local ambulance leaders say they are not laying off staff and are continuing to honor their agreements to keep ambulances staffed and ready.
Posted inCountywide, Emergencies & Disasters, Top Stories
Is Orange County Ready for a Potential Surge in COVID Cases?
Data reviewed by Voice of OC from local hospitals show hospitalizations from coronavirus went up markedly in the last few weeks while appearing to stabilize in recent days.
Posted inCountywide, Economy, Emergencies & Disasters, Housing & Homelessness, Top Stories
Orange County Property Owners Get Less Hardship Clarity About Late Property Taxes
Other counties have been offering broader relief for property taxpayers. OC has taken a different approach.
Posted inCountywide, Emergencies & Disasters, Top Stories
Why Does OC Have a Much Lower COVID Testing Rate Than San Diego County?
Other counties apparently have moved to make testing accessible in ways it currently is not in Orange County.
Posted inCountywide, Economy, Emergencies & Disasters, Government, Top Stories
OC Property Taxpayers Might – or Might Not – Get Late Fees Waived for ‘Significant’ Income Loss from COVID
On Monday, OC’s property tax collector opened the door to waiving late fees in certain income loss scenarios, which she declined to define specifically.
Posted inCountywide, Emergencies & Disasters, Investigative, Top Stories
County of Orange Continues to Struggle to Get Emergency Shelter Beds Online to Prevent COVID Spread
Three weeks after the state called for thousands of new motel shelter beds in OC to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Orange County’s shelter capacity apparently has gone in the other direction – down – as the county struggles to quickly get beds online.
Posted inCountywide, Emergencies & Disasters, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
Property Taxes: OC Now Says Financial Hardship Doesn’t Qualify for Late Fee Waivers
Orange County’s property tax collector now says she will not waive late penalties for taxpayers who are impacted financially by COVID-19 pandemic – a position at odds with the state legislature and other counties, which have urged a broad relaxing of property tax deadlines for people financially impacted by the crisis.
