County officials and lawyers for homeless people said they planned to work over the three-day holiday weekend to help ensure any homeless people who want motel rooms before the Tuesday deadline can quickly move into them.
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 inAnaheim, Countywide, Government, Housing & Homelessness, Orange, Safety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana, Top Stories
Plan to Move Riverbed Homeless to Motels Approved by OC Supervisors
The agreement, brokered by U.S. Dist. Judge David O. Carter, requires the county to provide motel rooms to those now living along the Santa Ana riverbed for at least 30 days. In return, officials can begin clearing the riverbed Tuesday morning.
Posted inAnaheim, Countywide, Government, Housing & Homelessness, Orange, Safety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana, Top Stories
County Gets OK to Start Evicting Santa Ana Riverbed Homeless Next Tuesday, But Must Provide Shelter
Orange County officials have a federal judge’s green light to clear out the county’s largest homeless encampment starting next Tuesday, but only if they provide an alternative bed for each of the estimated 400-plus people at the Santa Ana River encampment.
Posted inAnaheim, Costa Mesa, Countywide, Government, Housing & Homelessness, Orange, Santa Ana, Top Stories
Federal Judge Tells County and Cities to Move “Quickly” on Temporary Riverbed Homeless Aid
U.S. District Judge David O. Carter Tuesday told county and city officials to hurry up and find short-term shelter for the hundreds of homeless people facing eviction from the Santa Ana riverbed. They did.
Posted inSafety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana
Santa Ana Projects $17 Million Budget Hole as Labor Costs Skyrocket
The budget pressures are prompting warnings from the city manager that services may have to be cut back, despite growth in tax revenues. The funding gap is projected to grow to $40 million in five years.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, Politics & Elections, Top Stories
Steel Criticized By Other Supervisors for Taxpayer Mailers Featuring Herself and Rackauckas
“This was a campaign mailer, plain and simple,” said Supervisor Todd Spitzer. He and supervisors Shawn Nelson and Lisa Bartlett criticized Supervisor Michelle Steel’s handling of the invitations, which featured herself and District Attorney Tony Rackauckas and were sent to 16,000 voters at county taxpayer expense, even though the event only could handle 50 people.
Posted inGovernment, Politics & Elections, Top Stories
16,000 Voters Invited By Mail to Meet Steel and Rackauckas, But There Only Was Room for 50
Only 50 people could attend the event, prompting one ethics expert to say the mailers appear to be “more about blanketing people with an electoral mailer than actually meeting people.”
Posted inPolitics & Elections, Safety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana
Santa Ana 2018 Elections: Police Union Leads Fundraising Going In, With Three Open Council Seats
Santa Ana is facing a possible three-way race for mayor in November, has wide-open contests for three of its City Council seats, and the largest fundraising to date has been by the city’s police union, according to the latest campaign reports.
Posted inAnaheim, Countywide, Housing & Homelessness, Orange, Top Stories
Law Enforcement Ups Santa Ana Riverbed Homeless Evictions; Federal Judge Is Asked To Stop Them
Orange County Sheriff’s Deputies, along with officers from the probation and parole departments, stepped up eviction efforts along the Santa Ana riverbed homeless encampment Thursday, checking for people with outstanding warrants.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, Top Stories
Lawsuit Claims Auditor-Controller Had County Staff Drive His Kids To School
Orange County’s top watchdog of public dollars, Eric Woolery, is accused by a former employee of having government employees drive his young children to school and other activities during work hours and babysit them at the office.
