The now-removed plan had emphasized expanding the affordable housing supply for homeless people as a “top priority.” The supervisors also consolidated their power over the commission, removing all current members and changing the selection rules so supervisors now will pick all of the commissioners who have voting power.
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 inTop Stories
Santa Ana Again Threatens to Sue County Over Homeless Spending, Without Specifying Problem
Council members have not provided examples of alleged misspending, and county officials say they’re open to working with city officials on any concerns they may have.
Posted inCanyons, Government, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
Sheriff’s vs. Fire Authority Helicopter Rescue Battle Heats Up
County Supervisors, who are responsible for defining who responds to which type of search and rescue incident, said it wasn’t their job to fix the dispute – which reportedly has led to near-collisions between rescue helicopters. Supervisors instead pointed to other agencies to resolve the issue.
Posted inAnaheim, Countywide, Fountain Valley, Housing & Homelessness, Orange, Top Stories
OC Sheriff’s Deputies Begin Evicting Hundreds of Homeless People from Santa Ana River Bank
Orange County sheriff’s deputies began the process of evicting hundreds of homeless people from along the Santa Ana River bank near Angel Stadium Monday morning, with deputies walking tent-to-tent and telling those inside they soon could receive citations or get arrested if they don’t leave.
Posted inAnaheim, Countywide, Government, Housing & Homelessness, Orange, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
Uncertainty as County Prepares to Evict Hundreds of Homeless from Riverbed Camp
County officials plan to start evicting over 400 homeless people Monday from a strip of land next to the Santa Ana River amid a shortage of shelter beds, which is expected to prompt homeless people to relocate into the surrounding cities of Anaheim and Orange.
Posted inSanta Ana, Transportation
Santa Ana Says it Broke State Law When Approving $1 Million Subsidy for Car Dealers
In a tense meeting this week, City Council members said in coming weeks they will re-approve the original agreement – including the use of emergency reserves.
Posted inEconomy, Health & Wellness, Safety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana, Top Stories
Recreational Weed: It’s Legal to Buy at Licensed OC Stores, But Only in Santa Ana
In California’s new era of legal recreational pot, Santa Ana is at the forefront within the region.
Posted inCountywide, Politics & Elections, Top Stories
Billionaire Tom Steyer Pledges To Mobilize Orange County Millennials for 2018 Elections
A new get-out-the-vote effort funded by billionaire Democrat and environmentalist Tom Steyer will mobilize millennial voters in Orange County ahead of this year’s elections for the four congressional seats now held by Republicans.
Posted inGovernment, Top Stories
Andrew Do is Chosen as OC Supervisors’ Chairman for 2018
Do takes over as chair as the county grapples with issues like growing homelessness, gaps in mental health services, and being shortchanged in tax revenues by Sacramento to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars per year.
Posted inAnaheim, Government, Housing & Homelessness, Orange, Safety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana, Top Stories
County Supervisors Criticized for Plan to Push Hundreds of Homeless People From Riverbed to Cities
Orange County supervisors are facing criticism over their plan to require hundreds of homeless people to leave an encampment along the Santa Ana River by Jan. 22 without a place for most of them to go – a move one county supervisor said would push a large number of homeless people into cities like Anaheim.
