In a split vote, the council voted against a plan to issue $500,000 in grants for local youth programs. Council members on each side of the issue said the money is being saved for police.
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 inSanta Ana
Santa Ana Will Appeal Decision to Reinstate Officer Fired After Pot Shop Raid
Santa Ana City Council members Tuesday voted 4-3 to appeal in Orange County Superior Court a decision by the city’s personnel board to reinstate officer Brandon Sontag, who was fired after allegedly committing crimes during a 2015 raid of a pot shop.
Posted inAnaheim, Countywide, Housing & Homelessness, Orange, Santa Ana, Top Stories, Transportation
Protesters Fight Plans to Push Homeless From Santa Ana Riverbed
More than 30 protesters gathered at the Santa Ana riverbed Monday to demonstrate against apparent plans by county officials to push out dozens of homeless people who live along its banks.
Posted inSanta Ana
Santa Ana Cops Fired After Pot Shop Raid Could Get Their Jobs Back
One of the officers has been given his job back by the city’s personnel board, and the City Council is slated to decide next Tuesday whether to appeal it in Superior Court. The other two officers are also seeking to have their firings reversed.
Posted inSanta Ana
What to Expect in the Post-Cavazos Era at Santa Ana City Hall
Following the ouster of City Manager David Cavazos, expect changes in how the police department is managed, budget dollars are allocated, and the kind of leader the city will have atop its bureaucracy.
Posted inTop Stories
What Trump’s Immigration Orders Mean for Orange County
With the first wave of President Donald Trump’s long-promised crackdown on immigration arriving this week, immigrant advocates in Orange County are scrambling to mobilize on behalf of the many county residents who could be impacted by the directives.
Posted inGovernment, Top Stories
OC Supervisors Issue Another Crackdown on Speakers During Public Meetings
In her first meeting as the chairwoman of supervisors, Michelle Steel limited speakers to just one minute during the public comment period. This was the latest in a series of moves supervisors have made in recent years to curtail speakers at the board’s public meetings.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, Top Stories
Supervisors Hammer John Wayne Airport Staff Over Major Contracts
Supervisors lambasted top airport officials for what they consider poor management of lucrative airport contracts for private plane services, and then rejected the staff recommendation for a big contract.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, Top Stories
Longtime Corruption Fighter Chosen as OC’s Law Enforcement Watchdog
Orange County supervisors announced Tuesday that they’ve picked Gary Schons, a prosecutor with decades of experience investigating public corruption in Southern California, to head the county’s Office of Independent Review.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, Top Stories
Has the Day Finally Come for OC to Get a Law Enforcement Watchdog?
For the past nine months, Orange County’s watchdog agency has been left without a director. But that could change with a possible vote Tuesday by county supervisors to appoint the new head of the Office of Independent Review.
