The 30-year veteran of the Public Defender’s office has held the position on an interim basis since Frank Ospino stepped down in December.
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, Inside the Newsroom, News Briefs
Voice of OC Wins LA Press Club Awards
The news agency was recognized for its in-depth profile of labor leader Nick Berardino and first-person stories surrounding the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.
Posted inGovernment, Health & Wellness, Top Stories
Gender Pay Disparities Among Supervisors’ Staff Worse Than County Average
Among the 40 people who work as staff to county supervisors, women earn an average of 33 percent less than their male co-workers, according to a Voice of OC analysis. A statewide equal pay advocate says this reality should be a call to action.
Posted inGovernment, Top Stories
New Bill Would Ban Taxpayer-Funded Mailers During Run-up to Elections
The state Senate bill follows revelations that Orange County supervisors Andrew Do and Lisa Bartlett sent out tens of thousands of county-funded mailers prominently featuring their names in the weeks before the June primary.
Posted inGovernment, News Briefs, Top Stories
County’s Top Technology Officer Quits
Christina Koslosky, who tendered her resignation last Friday, is the second IT department head to abruptly leave in just over two years. She exits as the department continues to face criticism for cost overruns and efforts to centralize technology systems.
Posted inInside the Newsroom, News Briefs
Voice of OC Publisher Elected to Board of Nonprofit News Group
Norberto Santana Jr., Voice of OC’s founder and publisher, was elected last week as a board member of the Institute for Nonprofit News, which supports the work of over 100 nonprofit news organizations.
Posted inHealth & Wellness, Santa Ana
Santa Ana Council Votes to Devote Entire Budget Surplus to Police
A majority of council members, led by Mayor Miguel Pulido and Councilman Vincent Sarmiento, want to go beyond the 40-officer expansion of the police force this year.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Housing & Homelessness, Top Stories
Law Enforcement Main Beneficiary of Supervisors’ Budget Tweaks
Orange County supervisors followed in the tradition of their predecessors Tuesday in beefing up law enforcement spending over other services as they prepared to pass a $6.1 billion county budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
Posted inGovernment, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories, Transportation
State Snafu Leads to Cuts in Projected Funding for OC Law Enforcement
An audit found that the state Board of Equalization has been over-allocating sales tax revenue to counties, which means Orange County officials have to scale back recommendations on how many sheriff and district attorney’s office jobs to add next fiscal year.
Posted inGarden Grove, Government, Santa Ana, Top Stories, Transportation
Do Still King of Campaign Cash in First District Supervisor Race
The incumbent supervisor has raised $435,086 in total, which is multiple times the amounts raised by his chief rivals, Santa Ana Councilwoman Michele Martinez and Garden Grove Councilman Phat Bui.
