Bacerra won the Ward 4 seat he lost last year to Roman Reyna, who later resigned and pled guilty to election fraud after Bacerra pursued legal action against him.
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 inGovernment, Politics & Elections, Santa Ana
Phil Bacerra Appears to Win Santa Ana Council Seat
The real estate consultant and former city planning commissioner was leading former city planner Manny Escamilla by 150 votes in Tuesday’s update, and there appeared to be too few left in play to change Bacerra’s winning position.
Posted inGovernment, Politics & Elections, Santa Ana
In Dramatic Shift, Escamilla Has Kept Gaining in Santa Ana Council Results
Manny Escamilla narrowed his gap behind Phil Bacerra from 6 percentage points on election night 1.1 points Friday. Vote counting continues Tuesday.
Posted inPolitics & Elections, Santa Ana
Bacerra Maintains Lead in Latest Santa Ana Council Results
Phil Bacerra, a real estate consultant and former city planning commissioner, held on to his lead for a City Council seat in the third day of election results Thursday, as former city planner Manny Escamilla closed in slightly, from 2.4 percentage points to 2.0 points behind Bacerra.
Posted inGovernment, News Briefs, Santa Ana, Top Stories, Transportation
Downtown Santa Ana Tickets, Streetcar Construction Draw Ire From OC Supervisor
Third District County Supervisor Don Wagner vented his frustration Tuesday over tickets he says were issued by SAPD to parents dropping their high schoolers off along Santa Ana Boulevard to attend a weekend event he hosts about local government. Santa Ana City Councilman Juan Villegas fires back at Wagner over his public criticism.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, Politics & Elections, Santa Ana
Results Tighten as Vote-Counting Continues for Santa Ana Council Seat
Vote counting will continue through at least Friday.
Posted inCountywide, Government, News Briefs, Top Stories
As 2020 Census Approaches, OC Plans Outreach Campaign
$1.5 million in state money will be put into local outreach to get the word out.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, Politics & Elections, Safety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana, Top Stories
Bacerra, Mendoza and Escamilla Have Early Leads in Santa Ana Council Results
It’s still early; in last year’s primary election, almost half of all ballots in Orange County were not yet counted at of the end of election night.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, Politics & Elections, Safety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana, Top Stories
Today is Election Day in Santa Ana for New Council, School Board Members
Voters are deciding on a council member who will potentially impact key decisions on local issues like the ongoing homelessness crisis and complaints about slow 9-1-1 response times.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
OC Mental Health Jail Expansion Draws Pushback and Debate
There was no discussion of how much money would be devoted to the plan or how many doctors or nurses would be treating inmates. Answers weren’t provided after the meeting.
