A federal grand jury indicted former Officer Brian Booker with three felonies for allegedly beating a man who was complying with police commands and then lying about it in official reports.
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, Government, Investigative, Top Stories
Sheriff’s Department Helps Vet the Grand Jurors Who Investigate It
Sheriff officials conduct the official background investigations as part of the selection process for grand jurors who later investigate the department. The reviews include sheriff officials reporting to the court whether each applicant appears “competent to serve as a Grand Juror.”
Posted inCountywide, Government, Housing & Homelessness, Top Stories
Almost 7,000 Homeless People Counted in OC Amid Housing Debate
It’s a 43 percent increase from two years earlier. “We have a shortage of both affordable and available housing to meet the needs of our populations,” said Susan Price, the county’s coordinator of homeless services.
Posted inAliso Viejo, Dana Point, Government, Housing & Homelessness, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Top Stories
Homeless Settlement Limits South County Anti-Camping Enforcement
“This is a game-changer,” Judge David O. Carter told the courtroom Tuesday before signing off on the settlement, which the court can enforce for the next three years.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Top Stories
Republican Supervisor Says ‘Go Back’ Language is ‘Bigotry’
Supervisor Andrew Do called such language “bigotry” and related it to “hatred” he said led to assaults against his family when he was growing up as a Vietnamese refugee in Orange County.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Top Stories
Despite Ruling, County Won’t Say If It Will Stop Immediately Destroying Public Records
OC officials may have found a way to continue to immediately destroy many public records of their government communications, despite a court ruling that it’s probably illegal to do so.
Posted inEconomy, Garden Grove
Garden Grove Police Raises to Cost More Than Double What City Disclosed
New police raises will cost Garden Grove at least $3.4 million extra than officials disclosed when it was approved in April, city staff confirmed in response to a Voice of OC analysis.
Posted inAliso Viejo, Countywide, Dana Point, Housing & Homelessness, Irvine, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Top Stories
Judge Declines Emergency Block of San Clemente’s Anti-Camping Law
It was U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson’s first ruling in a closely-watched civil rights lawsuit against south OC cities.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Top Stories
Judge Rules Against OC’s Immediate Destruction of Public Records
Orange County officials likely are breaking the law with a policy allowing immediate destruction of public records and another rule banning public commenters from asking questions of county supervisors or addressing supervisors by name unless they have permission, a Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
DA Records Refute Public Reason for Not Prosecuting Santa Ana Police Sgt. Gerry Serrano
DA records contradict its public statements for why the DA’s office did not file DUI hit-and-run charges against Santa Ana police Sgt. Gerry Serrano, who now leads the city’s influential officers’ union.
