For months, top county officials have had drawings of the Civic Center’s new Building 16, but kept them under wraps from the public.
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, Health & Wellness, News Briefs, Top Stories
Spitzer Says Heroin Addicts Should Get Help, Not Life-Saving Antidote Kits
As a growing opioid epidemic claims hundreds of lives across Orange County, Supervisor Todd Spitzer said heroin addicts should be given help for their addiction, not antidote kits to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses.
Posted inGovernment, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
Sheriff Didn’t Fire or Demote Any Jail Managers for Failures That Enabled Escape
Sheriff Sandra Hutchens agrees that serious failures by her own jail managers probably enabled last year’s jailbreak.
Posted inGovernment, Health & Wellness, Top Stories
Battle Intensifies for Control of OC’s Health Care Plan for Low Income Residents
CalOptima provides health care for nearly 800,000 disabled, elderly and low-income Orange County residents. County supervisors are moving to expand their power on its board of directors, but state legislators are moving to block that effort.
Posted inEconomy, Government, Politics & Elections, Top Stories
Ethics Commissioner Falsely Claimed in Application He’s On Board of Directors of a National Association
Peter Agarwal, who was recently appointed as the county’s first ethics commissioner, wrote that he is on the governing board of a national association. That’s not true, he acknowledged in a recent interview.
Posted inGovernment, News Briefs, Politics & Elections, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
Spitzer Officially Declares His Run Against Rackauckas for DA
The move, which had been expected for years, set the stage for what is anticipated to be an intense election campaign.
Posted inGovernment, Top Stories
OC Supervisors Seek More Power Over Ethics Commission, By Changing What Voters Approved
Among those who will be subject to enforcement by the commission are the county supervisors and their election opponents. The changes would make it so commissioners “serve at the pleasure of the supervisor” who appointed them, said Supervisor Andrew Do, who supports the effort.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
Jail Leadership Failures Likely Helped Inmates Escape, Sheriff Agrees
The sheriff agrees with the grand jury about a lack of supervision the Central Men’s Jail regarding key issues that could have prevented the escape, like properly inspecting plumbing tunnels, and that her executives failed to take action when problems with inmate counts were raised.
Posted inPolitics & Elections, Safety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana
Amid Funding Shortfall, Santa Ana Raises Median Police Compensation Above $213,000
The new contract raises the base salary for officers and sergeants by 5.6 percent to 10.6 percent, depending on seniority and work schedule. Supporters say it’s needed to keep compensation competitive, while opponents say Santa Ana can’t afford the increase.
Posted inGovernment, Top Stories
Spitzer Wahoo Documents Released
County Supervisor Todd Spitzer’s emails and Op-ed about handcuffing an evangelist while armed at a Wahoo’s on Good Friday 2015, are released as a result of a successful Voice of OC public records lawsuit.
