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 helped unlock $70 million in mental health funds that had been stockpiled by Orange County officials, after a federal judge cited my stories in court hearings and demanded answers from elected leaders.
I’m always eager for story ideas and feedback. Your insights help inform my reporting. You can reach me at ngerda@scpr.org.
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Chris Wangsaporn, Supervisor Andrew Do's chief of staff, resigned Thursday, effective immediately. LAist reported this week on a $275,000 contract paid out to his then-girlfriend, now wife. County officials said the work was never turned in. -
Rhiannon Do faces a “threat of criminal prosecution,” as do other leaders of the nonprofit Viet America Society, according to a state court filing by a lawyer representing the group's leaders in a civil fraud lawsuit.
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O.C. Supervisor Andrew Do told a mental health nonprofit based in Irvine to hire the woman, according to multiple people briefed on the contract.
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Orange County's most populous city is banning sleeping or lying down on sidewalks and public benches.
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Hundreds of tiny homes must be added by the spring, Carter ruled. Among the places he’s looking at is UCLA’s baseball stadium.
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The winner of District 1 will join a five-member board that oversees a county of about 3 million residents with an annual budget of about $9 billion.
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How did a 22-year-old law student afford a $1 million home at the center of civil fraud allegations?The home is owned by O.C. Supervisor Andrew Do’s daughter, Rhiannon Do, who is among four individuals named as defendants in Orange County’s civil lawsuit alleging embezzlement of millions in public funds. LAist investigated the purchase.
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The proposed ethics and transparency reforms are in response to LAist’s investigation of millions of unaccounted for tax dollars directed by O.C. Supervisor Andrew Do to a group his daughter was helping lead.
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Judge David O. Carter orders 2,550 more homes in L.A. and says "it’s no surprise" that veterans don't trust the VA.
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The audit, obtained by LAist through a public records request, looked at the county's Be Well campus in the city of Orange. The director of the O.C.’s Health Care Agency tells LAist the county will terminate the contract.
