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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Here’s a list and a map of the affected beaches. -
In the wake of the tragedy in Texas, LAist set out to get answers about the flood situation here.
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Federal judge orders stepped up monitoring and criticizes city officials for failures that "undermined public trust."
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Recent court drama follows five years of disputes between the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights and the city.
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$2.4 million in bank accounts and and two properties — including a house bought by former Supervisor Andrew Do’s daughter — were ordered immediately transferred to the control of the U.S. government.
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Thanh Huong Nguyen, 61, of Santa Ana was arraigned on three federal charges on Monday.
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The decision comes after an LAist investigation exposed millions in unaccounted-for coronavirus relief funds Do quietly routed to a newly-created nonprofit connected to his daughter, and a federal law enforcement probe of the issue.
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Authorities say Peter Pham — who founded Viet America Society and hired former Supervisor Andrew Do's daughter — "is considered to be a fugitive from justice."
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There are at least two inquiries underway into thousands of contracts handled by Andrew Do over the years related to his time on two powerful Orange County boards.
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A court-overseen review found that the city could not substantiate the number of beds the city was taking credit for to show it was complying with the agreements.
