CIOP

Nicholas Gerda is an investigative correspondent for the largest NPR station in SoCal (LAist), who first attended Church in Ocean Park while he was one year old. From

an early age, Nick was exposed to the importance of keeping a close eye on people in power. He remembers going to the city council and school board meetings with his Mom, who would speak up on behalf of the community members who didn’t have a voice. That included children at a local elementary school suffering from a cluster of leukemia cases; at the same time, an industrial facility across the street was charged with illegally dumping highly toxic waste in the area. His work has been honored by the OC Press Club, LA Press Club, Dan Rather Medal for News & Guts and most recently the prestigious Investigative Reporter & Editors Finalist Award.