-
Listen Listen
Nick Gerda
What I cover
I’m a reporter focusing on government accountability in Southern California, including around the homelessness crisis. I try to find answers to questions like: Why does it often seem like there’s so little progress around homelessness? What can be done to make systems more effective? And how are people in charge of these systems using their authority?
My background
I grew up in L.A. and Orange County and previously covered the county government in Orange County for more than a decade — often reporting on issues like homelessness, public safety, mental health and the role of money in politics. At LAist, my reporting on corruption spurred a criminal investigation that led one of Orange County’s most powerful officials to resign, plead guilty and get sentenced to years in prison for a scheme that diverted millions in food money from needy seniors. For that work, in 2025, I was honored to be named journalist of the year for California, SoCal and Orange County and to receive the national Dan Rather Medal for News and Guts.
My goals
I want my coverage to inform the public and inspire positive change by identifying areas for improvement in the ways leaders are exercising power.
Best way to reach me
Email:
ngerda@laist.com
. Signal: @
ngerda.47
Stories by Nick Gerda
-
In a unanimous vote, the five supervisors said they’re not changing the county’s longstanding approach in the jurisdiction they control.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Judge David O. Carter says he’ll rule in the future on what changes will have to be made.
-
The suit alleges two top city elected officials have covertly and illegally thwarted a housing proposal for a city-owned lot that’s 800 feet from the beach in Venice. The officials, including the L.A. city attorney, did not have comment.
-
A nonprofit at the center of an LAist investigation of O.C. Supervisor Andrew Do missed another deadline to account for over $3 million in taxpayer dollars Do gave the group to feed needy seniors during the pandemic.
-
For years, the homeless count in the L.A. area has shown increases in the unhoused population. The latest count finds the upward surge has leveled out overall.
-
Officials acknowledge the mistakes, and say they’ve now fixed them.
-
An Orange County judge is facing pointed questions about how a murder case was handled back when he was a prosecutor, including the disclosure of the use of so-called jailhouse snitches.
-
Federal judge wants details of the city’s spending on homeless service providers to be shared online with the public.
-
City officials have been called in for a hearing later this week to detail how millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent.
