Orange County is looking to replace its top fiscal watchdog, Auditor Controller Eric Woolery, who died suddenly in August, with a former longtime employee at the agency he ran.
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, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
OC Moves Millions From Health Agency to Help Cover Sheriff Overruns
Orange County Sheriff’s officials outspent their revenues by $33 million during this last fiscal year – prompting county officials to pull millions of dollars from other departments like the Health Care Agency to cover the shortfall.
Posted inCountywide, Top Stories
Cybersecurity Battle Erupts Over Checking OC Assessor’s Systems
County auditors haven’t checked the assessor’s computer systems for security vulnerabilities since at least 1995 – if ever, officials said this week.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, Top Stories, Tustin
Rehab Homes in Unincorporated Orange County to Face New Rules
Operators will have to apply for permits from the county, be at least 650 feet from other drug and alcohol recovery facilities and have no more than six residents.
Posted inCountywide, Housing & Homelessness, Laguna Beach, Santa Ana, Top Stories
Homeless Shelter Commitments Expand to Three New Cities
Santa Ana, Laguna Beach, and Bellflower agreed to provide specific amounts of shelter for homeless people and to not enforce anti-camping laws against them unless they’re refusing available beds that are appropriate for their disabilities.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Politics & Elections, Top Stories
OC Supervisors Back Off Uncertified Voting Machine Vendor
The county’s top elections official warned such A move would put the election itself at risk.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Politics & Elections, Top Stories
How Voting in OC Will Change in 2020
People voting on machines now will receive a physical print-out of their ballot to verify their selections and then turn it in to a scanner to be counted.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Top Stories
OC Approves New Policy to Immediately Destroy Public Records
The policy change comes after a judge found the county failed to cite a valid legal justification to destroy records before two years. ACLU lawyers say the new policy goes against the court ruling, while county officials say it’s entirely legal.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, Santa Ana, Top Stories
Ex-Santa Ana Councilman Pleads Guilty to Election Fraud
Roman Reyna agreed to pay $578,053 in restitution to the city for the cost of an upcoming special election to fill his seat on the council, and will have a lifetime ban against holding elected office, according to prosecutors.
Posted inCosta Mesa, Countywide, Government, Newport Beach, Top Stories
John Wayne Airport: OC Rejects Requests to Back Up Promise of Capping Jet Space
County supervisors declined a series of requests by nearby residents, mayors and small plane owners seeking to preserve the existing mix of aircraft. The public will be able to review and comment on the proposed mix of hangar space before it’s approved, supervisors said.
