In a letter Thursday to city officials, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials announced they were triggering a 90-day period to cancel the contract, in reaction to decisions by the council to reduce the number of detainees who could be housed there.
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 inCountywide, Santa Ana, Top Stories
Santa Ana Plans Legal Defense Fund for Undocumented Immigrants Facing Deportation
In a unanimous vote Wednesday, the City Council told city staff to work with nonprofits and law schools and develop a plan to provide lawyers for Santa Ana residents who are at risk of deportation but can’t afford an attorney.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Housing & Homelessness, Top Stories
Homelessness, Housing, and Airport Concerns Dominate County Supervisors Meeting
Members of the public raised concerns about a shortage of housing options for homeless people, a troubling county economic future, and alleged improprieties by supervisors in choosing a major airport contractor.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Orange, Top Stories, Transportation
Homeless Now Have Several Days to Move From Riverbank Per ACLU Settlement
The settlement agreement extends the deadline to next Thursday for people to leave an encampment on the eastern banks of the river from Orangewood Ave. to just south of the 22 freeway.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, Top Stories, Transportation
Supervisors Delay Airport Contract Amid Accusations They Violated Bidding Rules
The delay comes as the firm that county officials ranked highest among bidders for the contract is seeking a federal investigation into supervisors’ decision to award the contract to the fifth-ranked firm.
Posted inGovernment, Health & Wellness, Investigative, Top Stories
Supervisors Approve Funding for New Mental Health Crisis Facility
The county Board of Supervisors this week approved plans to open a facility in Garden Grove that will treat patients, including children, who are experiencing mental health crisis. Scheduled to open in December, the facility will address the county’s acute shortage of psychiatric beds.
Posted inGovernment, Health & Wellness, Housing & Homelessness, Top Stories
ACLU and County in Settlement Talks on Riverbed Homeless Suit
The ACLU claims county officials illegally trapped dozens of homeless people living along the Santa Ana River, which the county disputes. However, both sides were in support of canceling a key court hearing for Thursday as they appear to be seeking an agreement.
Posted inGovernment, Housing & Homelessness, Top Stories
Homeless Advocates Shame Supervisors for Actions at Riverbed
A stream of angry residents showed up to the county Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday to demand that supervisors stop the evictions of homeless people who are camped along the Santa Ana riverbed until housing options are available.
Posted inGovernment, Housing & Homelessness, Orange, Top Stories
ACLU Sues County Over Fencing of Riverbed Homeless Camp
The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California has filed a federal lawsuit claiming that by erecting a chain-link fence next to the Santa Ana River in Orange, county officials have unconstitutionally “imprisoned” 75 to 100 people living in a homeless encampment there.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Health & Wellness, Housing & Homelessness, Orange, Santa Ana, Top Stories
ACLU Threatens Suit Over County’s Actions Toward Riverbed Homeless
As county officials move to push homeless people from an encampment next to the Santa Ana River, the American Civil Liberties Union has jumped into the fray with threats of legal action.
