The year-end meeting featured goodbyes to supervisors Todd Spitzer and Shawn Nelson, criticism of the all supervisors over the deaths of more than 200 homeless people this year, and questions from the incoming DA about wiretapping and alleged conflicts of interest related to a contractor hired by the outgoing district attorney and illegal surveillance of elected officials by a police union’s law firm.
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, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
OC Sheriff Moves to Upgrade Wiretapping System
The Pen-Link system allows law enforcement to monitor, store, and analyze phone conversations and internet communications for investigations, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
Sheriff Officials Knew in 2015, 2016, and 2017 About Attorney-Client Recordings
At least three more OC sheriff officials knew in 2016 and 2017 of illegally recorded telephone calls between jail inmates and their attorneys, in addition to a sheriff investigator’s knowledge in 2015 of such recordings, according to evidence presented Wednesday in Superior Court.
Posted inFullerton, Government, Investigative, Politics & Elections
DA Files Campaign Sign Theft Charges Against Former Fullerton Candidate
Prosecutors say Paulette Chaffee, who ran for Fullerton City Council this year and is married to incoming county Supervisor Doug Chaffee, stole campaign signs that labeled her a “carpetbagger.” If convicted, she faces up to a year in county jail.
Posted inAnaheim, Countywide, Government, Irvine, Politics & Elections, Top Stories
Possible Veteran & Civilian Cemetery in Anaheim Prompts OC Supervisor Clash
The county is transferring property on the eastern edge of Anaheim for potential development as a veterans and civilian cemetery. Supervisors clashed over whether it would let Irvine “off the hook” for a proposed veterans cemetery at the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro.
Posted inGovernment, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
Supervisors Silent on Immigration Debate Over Inmate Transfers to ICE
The state-mandated forum brought out more than two dozen public speakers who supported and opposed the Sheriff’s Department’s involvement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
Sheriff and DA Officials Knew For 2+ Years About Attorney-Client Recordings
The testimony raised questions about why, when sheriff and DA officials learned of attorney-client recordings in 2015, they apparently did not examine the issue further and potentially stop the systemic recording of hundreds of protected calls.
Posted inAliso Viejo, Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Countywide, Cypress, Dana Point, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Government, Huntington Beach, Irvine, La Habra, La Palma, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Los Alamitos, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Orange, Placentia, Politics & Elections, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Stanton, Top Stories, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster, Yorba Linda
Final OC Election Results: Democrats Win Big as GOP Looks to 2020
Midterm voters turned out in OC at the highest rate in decades and Democrats gained major wins in local Congressional and state legislative seats.
Posted inGovernment, Politics & Elections, Santa Ana
State Investigating Secretive Group That Routed $170,000 to Santa Ana Election
The investigation centers on Californians for Ethical Patient Care, which was one of the largest spenders in the Nov. 6 Santa Ana City Council election.
Posted inCountywide, Politics & Elections, Top Stories
OC Dems Gain in Latest Count, Flipping GOP Assembly Seat
Republican Assemblyman Matthew Harper lost his seat to Democrat Cottie Petrie-Norris, and Democrat Tom Umberg’s lead continued to grow Monday over state Sen. Janet Nguyen. About 98 percent of all estimated ballots in Orange County have been counted and reported.
