Nick Gerda
Why does it often seem like there’s so little progress around homelessness? What can be done to make systems more effective? From the halls of government to the streets, I follow money and policies to examine what’s working, what’s not, and how it’s affecting people in Southern California.
I grew up in L.A. and OC, and previously spent more than a decade at Voice of OC covering the county government in Orange County — often reporting on issues like homelessness, public safety, mental health, and the role of money in politics.
My reporting on corruption in Orange County spurred a federal investigation that led to a powerful O.C. supervisor — Andrew Do — pleading guilty to a federal bribery charge and resigning. That work won the Dan Rather Medal for News and Guts and was a finalist for an Investigative Reporters and Editors award.
If you have a tip, you can reach me on Signal. My username is ngerda.47.
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And if you're comfortable just reaching out by email, I'm at ngerda@scpr.org.
I’m always eager for story ideas and feedback. Your insights help inform my reporting.
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After the recent atmospheric rivers, it's time to check in on two popular wildflower spots to get the skinny on this year's post-storm bloom. -
The report looks at one of the council’s most controversial laws, a rule known as 41.18. Since 2021, council members have designated public areas in their district where unhoused people cannot sit, lie down, sleep, or keep belongings.
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Three top officials have left the L.A. Homeless Services Authority in recent weeks without press releases announcing the moves, LAist has learned.
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New county letters obtained by LAist find that a nonprofit led by an O.C. supervisor’s 22-year-old daughter has failed to prove what it did with more than $4 million intended to feed needy residents during the pandemic.
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Orange County Board of Supervisors: Who's Running In The March 5 Primary Election And Why It MattersThe winners of Districts 1 and 3 will join a five-member board that oversees a county of about 3 million residents with an annual budget of about $9 billion.
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Federal officials say they’re making progress in housing unhoused veterans in the L.A. area, as they push back on calls by a federal judge and advocates to return to housing 4,000 veterans at the agency’s sprawling West L.A. campus.
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The ethics proposal deadlocked among O.C. supervisors 2-to-2. O.C. Supervisor Andrew Do, who directed millions to his daughter’s nonprofit without publicly disclosing the connection, was absent for the vote.
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County records obtained by LAist show O.C. Supervisor Andrew Do directed an additional $6.2 million in taxpayer dollars to his 22-year-old daughter’s group without publicly disclosing the family ties.
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“The public's trust is being eroded by people who abuse the process,” Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento told LAist.
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The missing audits are for $4 million in taxpayer funding earmarked to provide meals for seniors and people with disabilities. LAist previously reported Do directed funding to the group without disclosing his family ties.
