Chaffee has drawn fury from fellow Democrats for often siding with his Republican colleagues on issues like banning health officials from joining COVID-19 news conferences.
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
OC Grand Jury: Anaheim Leaders ‘Betrayed’ Residents With Secretive Angel Stadium Sale
Grand jurors call for new transparency reforms to prevent anything like the stadium sale from happening again.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Grand Jury: OC Falls Short on Housing and Shelter for Homeless People and Former Foster Youth
Local leaders largely agreed with the grand jury’s findings that more needs to be done on the housing and shelter fronts.
Posted inSafety, Security & Justice
What Should Orange County Do With an Extra $49 Million?
County officials are expecting to have tens of millions of extra taxpayer dollars, thanks to a surge in property tax collections from the skyrocketing housing market. How should those extra dollars be spent?
Posted inGovernment
Did Orange County Supervisor Doug Chaffee Just Lose Re-Election?
Under fire from his own Democratic Party for often siding with his Republican colleagues, Chaffee is inching closer to a rarity in local politics: Losing before the November election.
Posted inCountywide
Jan. 6 Committee Repeatedly Cites OC Federal Judge’s Ruling That Trump ‘Likely’ Committed Crime
The Jan. 6 Committee has twice focused on Federal Judge David Carter’s ruling that found “it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct” the electoral vote count.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Officials Kill Live Streaming and Remote Comments at OC’s Homeless Commission Meetings
Local leaders said the change “doesn’t make sense” and undermines public trust.
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Who Are Your Options to Run Your Government? Here’s Who Made it Onto the November Ballot
Orange County voters are looking at a highly competitive environment for powerful seats on the county Board of Supervisors – for the first time since the 1970s.
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Election Night Roundup: DA Todd Spitzer Trounces Opponents; On Track to Win Without Runoff
Spitzer is on track to win re-election outright, while Democrats advanced to have a chance in November to take a majority on the powerful Board of Supervisors for the first time in decades.
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Latest Results on Who Will Make OC’s Mental Health, Homelessness and Sheriff Spending Decisions
The latest election results for three powerful Orange County supervisor seats, overseeing $8 billion in public spending over quality-of-life spending priorities.
