Watchdog correspondent, @LAist. 2025 Journalist of the Year for CA, LA and OC for exposing corruption by a top elected official. Story tips: [email protected]
Southern California
Joined March 2010
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Honored to be profiled by @GustavoArellano in his column. He notes this work is what results when "news organizations invest in local journalism, let reporters dig instead of writing clickbait and stand by them in the face of critics real and imagined." latimes.com/california/story…
Nick Gerda retweeted
Illuminating campaign finance reporting from LAist on the city’s mayoral race. Plus: A poor choice of words in the Cornell case, and the value of five-dollar obituaries, in this week's Laurels and Darts by @mitrakalita. cjr.org/laurels-and-darts/fo…
Honored to see our coverage of LA mayor race money highlighted today by a top media analysis outlet
"Journalism to celebrate here is how local reporters are using public records to help voters understand the relationship between money, politics, and power"
cjr.org/laurels-and-darts/fo…
NEW: Millions more dollars have been pouring into the L.A. mayor’s race. Here’s a look at the biggest donors, who they’re backing, and what business they’ve had before city hall.
laist.com/news/politics/la-m…
NEW: The city of LA is now the last major funder of the homelessness agency LAHSA, after LAHSA decided this week to stop managing federal $ and the county pulled funding this summer.
City officials are still hiring a consultant to come up with a plan.
laist.com/news/housing-homel…
BREAKING: Prosecutors announce new charges and arrests for alleged homeless services fraud in the L.A. area. One nonprofit leader is accused of misappropriating over $7.5 million, spending much of it on a nightclub and bingo hall. LAist story coming soon.
justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/2-d…
Our story, with more details: laist.com/news/housing-homel…
NEW: Our story on today's homeless service fraud charges against three people in a widening investigation in the L.A. area. Prosecutors say they'll bring “many more” cases.
"Nobody was minding the shop," the region’s top federal prosecutor told reporters.
laist.com/news/housing-homel…
Nick Gerda retweeted
Remembering our colleagues, Eliana and George. trib.al/EU4kHuS
Nick Gerda retweeted
Just an absolutely gutting broadcast live on NBC 4 right now:
"We can't confirm anything other than a television news helicopter has crashed. We can tell you that we are not in contact with our television news helicopter."
The leader of a congressional panel warned Tuesday he would use “every tool” to get Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to testify after she skipped a hearing that put L.A.’s homeless services system in the hot seat.
laist.com/news/politics/kare…
Nick Gerda retweeted
Mayor Bass’ office told LAist she will step down from the LAHSA Commission tomorrow (9/9) and name a new appointee.
"The Mayor’s first-hand experience at LAHSA reinforced her understanding that our current system is broken and in need of major overhaul," the statement said.
NEW: Mayor Karen Bass has announced she plans to step down from the governing body for the LA region’s embattled homeless services agency.
The decision comes after LAist reported Bass skipped more than half of its meetings. Story by @aaronschrank laist.com/news/housing-homel…
NEW: Mayor Karen Bass has announced she plans to step down from the governing body for the LA region’s embattled homeless services agency.
The decision comes after LAist reported Bass skipped more than half of its meetings. Story by @aaronschrank laist.com/news/housing-homel…
Here’s @aaronschrank’s earlier story, where he examined the mayor’s attendance record and found she’s missed most of the homelessness commission meetings — far more than enough to trigger potential removal under the agency’s rules.
laist.com/news/housing-homel…
NEW: Justin Szlasa exposed a double-billing scandal with LA homeless services and pressed for stronger audits. He was just demoted by an appointee of Mayor Bass, without explanation.
One official says it's part of a “cover-up” of dysfunction at LAHSA.
laist.com/news/housing-homel…
NEW: L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has been asked to testify before Congress for an investigation into “potential waste, fraud, and abuse” of federal homelessness funding.
Two LAist articles are cited in the letter, which asks Bass to testify on Sept. 15. laist.com/news/housing-homel…
NEW: An LAist investigation finds LA officials awarded millions to a homeless services group even after it was flagged as “High-Risk” for failing to do its job.
Its leader is now charged with pocketing $10 million in funds meant to house and serve people.
laist.com/news/housing-homel…
Tomorrow marks one year since Andrew Do started his prison term, after pleading guilty to taking bribes as part of a scheme that diverted $8 million that was supposed to feed needy seniors.
What’s happened since? Here’s what we know.
laist.com/news/ex-orange-cou…
NEW: Who’s bankrolling the L.A. mayor race.
The biggest spender so far? The LAPD officers' union.
Also spending big: Airbnb (which wants relaxed rules) and a major landlord that lost in court after attempting one of L.A.'s biggest evictions in decades.
laist.com/news/politics/bass…
Nick Gerda retweeted
Mayor Karen Bass’ press relations office communicates through WhatsApp messages that auto-delete every 24 hours, potentially shielding the messages from public records requests, according to three sources familiar with the office.
latimes.com/california/story…
NEW: L.A.’s homeless services agency has not completed any internal audits in years — and one that was started two years ago is still incomplete because management is taking months to provide responses, officials said Monday.
laist.com/news/housing-homel…