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 early data is incomplete, but the LA Homeless Services Authority's leader says final numbers are expected to show a 5% to 10% drop in street homelessness. -
Claude Parrish, who took office in 2015, was told to cease and desist following a confidential report LAist obtained through a public records request.
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The proposal comes after a pair of scathing audits about the L.A. Homeless Services Authority, known as LAHSA. If approved, the annual spend of taxpayer money would instead be directly overseen by the county.
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Many of the problems identified were at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, the public agency known as LAHSA.
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Executives with potential conflicts of interest will no longer appear on the signature lines of contracts, the L.A. homelessness services agency says. The change to LAHSA procedures was outlined after LAist found the CEO signed a $2.1 million contract with her husband’s employer.
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That incident is one of numerous complaints of alleged mismanagement against Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector Shari Freidenrich.
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L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger responded to an LAist investigation that found LAHSA CEO Va Lecia Adams Kellum signed a $2.1 million contract with her husband’s employer.
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The proposed spending plan is up for discussion today and a decision is expected as early as next month. And LAist wants to hear from you.
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Government documents show Va Lecia Adams Kellum, who leads an agency that manages over $700 million in homeless services contracts each year, inked deals with the nonprofit where her husband is a senior staffer.
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Public employees often must disclose outside income and gifts to in state-mandated forms. Why aren’t top LA homelessness officials? Out of hundreds of employees, only the CEO currently files, according to an LAist review of records.
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/30b2650/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5997x4198+27+0/resize/180x126!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
