California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed [1] the controversial Assembly Bill 2624 into law Saturday, expanding privacy protections for nonprofit employees who assist people navigating the immigration system.
Critics warn the measure could make it harder for journalists and investigators to expose fraud, misconduct, and abuse involving publicly connected organizations.
Republicans have labeled the legislation the “Stop Nick Shirley Act,” a name coined by Assemblyman Carl DeMaio of San Diego.
The nickname reflects concerns that the law is aimed less at preventing genuine threats and more at frustrating independent journalists who scrutinize immigration networks.
The measure expands California’s Safe at Home program, which gives substitute mailing addresses to people considered vulnerable to targeted attacks or violent threats.
The program already covers domestic violence survivors, elder abuse victims, and workers involved in reproductive and gender affirming health care.
Democratic Assemblywoman Mia Bonta introduced the bill in February following reports that immigration service providers had experienced increased threats and harassment.
Supporters argue that employees working with immigrant communities should not have their personal addresses exposed because of their professional activities.
“Our immigrant service providers are living in fear because of extremists looking to demonize the work that they do and the populations they serve,” Bonta said Saturday.
She has rejected claims that the law protects wrongdoing or treats aggressive journalism as the same thing as publishing private information.
Critics are not buying the explanation, especially given the broad political context surrounding the legislation.
They say the law could intimidate people “trying to shine light on bad behavior” by placing additional barriers around organizations receiving public attention and potentially benefiting from taxpayer support.
Shirley, an independent journalist and YouTuber, has built a large audience through videos examining alleged fraud within immigrant communities.
He has said AB 2624 emerged after he “exposed widespread fraud in immigrant communities” in California and Minnesota, a claim that quickly intensified the political battle.
The controversy grew after Shirley traveled to San Diego following the viral success of his reporting in Minnesota.
WATCH:
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Newsom claimed in February that Somali daycare providers there were “under siege” after Shirley arrived, framing the journalist’s scrutiny as a threat rather than a response to serious public concerns.
Then California politics delivered one of those scenes that would be rejected from a satire script for being too ridiculous.
While Shirley conducted a sidewalk interview outside the state Capitol in Sacramento, Terry Schanz, chief of staff to Democratic Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor, allegedly interrupted the encounter.
Schanz appeared with a printed flyer and asked, “Did you guys hear that Nick Shirley has a small penis allegedly?”
The crude stunt came from a senior legislative employee earning $17,319 each month, amounting to $207,828 annually in taxpayer-funded compensation.
Multiple complaints were filed with the California Legislature’s human resources department after the incident, according to KCRA, and Schanz is expected to face consequences.
The spectacle created an embarrassing contradiction for Democrats promoting legislation supposedly intended to discourage harassment and personal attacks.
Schanz was already carrying political baggage before his sidewalk performance.
His name appeared in a 2025 wrongful termination lawsuit containing allegations of political bullying and a toxic workplace culture within senior Assembly leadership, raising further questions about professional conduct inside California’s Democratic machine.
His office also drew scrutiny in January over allegations that it pressured the nonprofit newsroom CalMatters to change footage involving McKinnor.
The dispute followed a reporter’s tough question about the assemblywoman’s expensive designer handbag, apparently another moment when California officials found basic scrutiny terribly inconvenient.
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The fight over AB 2624 eventually reached the United States Senate, where Republican Sen. Ashley Moody of Florida called it the “Protect Fraudsters Act.”
Bonta insists the law distinguishes legitimate reporting from doxxing, but opponents remain concerned that privacy protections can become political cover.
Newsom’s signature now ensures those concerns will move from legislative debate into practical enforcement.
Californians will discover whether the law protects vulnerable workers from genuine danger or supplies powerful interests with another tool for making uncomfortable questions, persistent reporters, and embarrassing investigations disappear from view.