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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The designated sleeping site with 20 tents comes after the city passed a law against camping in public. An estimated 312 people were unsheltered in the city last year. -
At a meeting Tuesday, supervisors also said money from past phone call fees has been misspent by sheriff officials. The jail phone fees currently bring in an estimated $30 million per year.
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Prosecutors say a search later found an additional Molotov cocktail at one defendant’s home and illegal guns at another — potentially preventing further attacks.
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Six VA apartments have been scheduled for move-ins since LAist’s reporting last week cleared up confusion between officials. About a dozen more units are expected to be filled soon.
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Officials celebrated the new apartments at a grand opening in early May. But most of the housing is still unoccupied.
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On LAist’s AirTalk, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass discussed the strike, saying L.A. has become unaffordable.
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The homeless program has moved nearly 1,400 people into hotels and motels, but just 77 have secured long-term housing. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass reacted to the newly revealed figure on LAist’s AirTalk.
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City officials say 1,500 people are at risk in the nonprofit’s apartment buildings, after years of neglect and safety issues – including broken fire alarm systems.
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The latest count found that 75,518 people are unhoused in L.A. County. The head of the agency that oversaw the data collection says multiple safety net systems have failed.
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The city council voted Tuesday to remove Mark Adams from overseeing housing for about 1,500 people who were formerly unhoused.
