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 nonprofit Viet America Society has been at the center of a long-running LAist investigation. -
It’s the latest action to take place after an LAist investigation revealed public records showed millions of dollars were unaccounted for.
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A letter signed by the county's top attorney warns that he's prepared to take "any and all legal remedies" to ensure Viet America Society and Hand for Hand rebate millions of public funds and fully account for millions more.
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People were served almost exclusively instant noodles, even though the providers are being paid to serve nutritious foods, according to officials.
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“There’s no way they’re getting that money back,” Sterling Scott Winchell, the attorney for VAS, told the Orange County Register. The county could file suit to try to get a court to recover the money.
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The repayment demands, detailed in Orange County letters obtained by LAist, come as officials found that the nonprofit Viet America Society failed to show that meals to seniors were handed out as required under a county contract. Supervisor Andrew Do did not respond to requests for comment.
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In a unanimous vote, the five supervisors said they’re not changing the county’s longstanding approach in the jurisdiction they control.
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A motion up for approval by county supervisors calls for a regional strategy to reduce the effect of a recent Supreme Court ruling on homelessness.
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Last month the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that cities are no longer prohibited from punishing homeless people for camping if they have nowhere else to go.
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As homelessness continues to be a top concern for Angelenos, LAist wants to hear from you. Tell us what’s shifted — or not — in your neighborhood.
