Spitzer was “stirring up a bunch of lies and nonsense” with his comments last month to public meetings of the Laguna Niguel and Costa Mesa city councils, Supervisor Shawn Nelson said. Spitzer said his colleagues weren’t telling the whole story.
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 inPolitics & Elections, Santa Ana
Santa Ana District Elections Appear Dead For This Year After Appeal is Rejected
The effort to have district elections in place for November seems to have been killed, according to Councilman Vicente Sarmiento, who supports the proposed voting system change.
Posted inAnaheim, Countywide, Government, Top Stories
OC Fire Authority Under More Fire for Late Response to Canyon 2 Flames
Orange County Fire Authority executives came under renewed criticism Tuesday for the slow response to the large Canyon 2 Fire, after a county investigation found numerous breaches of protocol caused an 80 to 85-minute delay in taking action.
Posted inPolitics & Elections, Santa Ana
Santa Ana Mayor Steps Up Legal Action Against District Elections
A proposed June ballot measure on Santa Ana district elections appeared less likely Monday to make it to the ballot, with Mayor Miguel Pulido increasing his legal action against it and little time left for the City Council members who support the measure to ask the courts to put it on the ballot.
Posted inTop Stories
Leader of Successful Utah Homelessness Effort Outlines Steps OC Could Take
Lloyd Pendleton’s speech to local officials, business leaders and advocates came as Orange County grapples with a growing homeless population and a severe shortage of shelter and affordable housing.
Posted inPolitics & Elections, Santa Ana
Judge Orders Santa Ana Mayor to Sign Ballot Papers; Measure’s Fate is Unclear
It was unclear Friday whether the measure will go before voters in June. The ruling left a potential door open for further round of legal arguments by city officials and the mayor.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Housing & Homelessness, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
OC Supervisors Leave it to Cities and Judge to Find New Homeless Shelter Sites
“We don’t have sufficient capacity,” said the supervisors’ chairman, Andrew Do. The issue is scheduled to be discussed Tuesday at a federal court hearing with U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, county officials, and city officials from across Orange County.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Health & Wellness, Housing & Homelessness, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Niguel, Safety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana, Top Stories
Santa Ana Alleges Class-Based Discrimination by Cities that Reject Homeless Shelters
“What we saw with…the hysteria from Irvine, is this: It’s simply a class-based argument that if ‘I pay enough for where I live, I shouldn’t have to deal with my homeless problem. I should shift it to some other city,’ ” said county Supervisor Andrew Do.
Posted inCosta Mesa, Countywide, Government, Housing & Homelessness, Huntington Beach, Investigative, Irvine, Laguna Niguel, Safety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana, Top Stories
OC Supervisors Back Off New Homeless Shelters, Make Promise to Work With Cities
Answers about where shelters might be placed, and how they would be operated, could come at an April 3 court meeting.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Housing & Homelessness, Irvine, Top Stories
Judge Warns OC ‘Desperately’ Needs More Homeless Shelter Beds
Among the problems he cited: Women’s beds put in men’s sleeping areas due to a lack of space, people with serious mental illnesses being triggered by extremely crowded conditions at the Courtyard shelter, and women being told by county officials their option was to stay at an already-over-capacity shelter with men who they say sexually assaulted them.
