BS BULLETIN:

• Gavin Newsom signed AB 2624 Saturday, expanding special privacy protections to workers at immigration-service nonprofits.
• Critics call it the “Stop Nick Shirley Act” and warn it could chill investigative reporting.
• Supporters insist legitimate journalism remains protected and the law targets threats, harassment and doxxing.

NEWSOM SIGNS ‘STOP NICK SHIRLEY ACT’ AS FIRST AMENDMENT FIGHT ERUPTS

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a controversial law granting new privacy protections to employees and volunteers at nonprofits serving immigrants — and critics say Sacramento just created a powerful new weapon against journalists trying to expose fraud.

Assembly Bill 2624, authored by Democratic Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, expands California’s existing Safe at Home program to certain immigration-service workers, allowing qualifying participants to shield their home addresses behind substitute mailing addresses.

The measure was signed Saturday and is scheduled to take effect October 1, 2027.

That description sounds considerably less sinister than the more accurate nickname Republican Assemblyman Carl DeMaio gave it: the “Stop Nick Shirley Act.”

Shirley is the independent journalist and YouTuber whose viral investigations into alleged fraud involving immigrant-serving organizations have attracted millions of views and considerable political attention. DeMaio argues the law is designed to intimidate investigators “trying to shine light on bad behavior.”

But the fight isn’t simply about keeping someone’s home address off the Internet. The law also establishes penalties surrounding the publication of certain personal information or images when done with the specific intent to incite violence, threats or place covered workers in reasonable fear for their safety. Critics argue that language could create a chilling effect for reporters confronting workers or publishing investigative material involving organizations receiving taxpayer money.

Supporters say that characterization is nonsense. Bonta says the legislation protects immigration-service providers facing threats and harassment, not organizations from legitimate scrutiny. “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 after Newsom signed the bill.

Democratic state Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez has been equally emphatic, arguing that AB 2624 “would not prevent” journalists from investigating and exposing actual corruption. And Newsom’s office told reporters that the law contains safeguards requiring a specific harmful intent before liability attaches.

That’s an important distinction. AB 2624 does not simply say “photograph an immigration nonprofit worker and go to jail,” as some of the more breathless descriptions online suggest. But critics aren’t buying Sacramento’s assurances.

The controversy became even stranger just days before Newsom’s signature when Shirley was conducting an interview outside the California State Capitol. Terry Schanz, chief of staff to Democratic Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor, interrupted the interview while displaying a crude sign attacking Shirley personally. According to multiple reports, complaints were subsequently filed with the Legislature’s human-resources department.

So California Democrats say their new law is necessary because immigration workers need protection from intimidation and harassment — just as a Democratic legislative staffer is accused of publicly harassing the journalist whose name opponents attached to the bill.

There may also be a First Amendment courtroom battle ahead. Critics contend the law’s provisions governing publication could run headlong into constitutional protections for newsgathering and speech, while supporters insist its intent requirement puts it safely on the other side of that line.

One more curious detail: Newsom won’t have to live with much of the political fallout. The law doesn’t take effect until October 2027, after he leaves office because of California’s term limits.

DBS WIRE SOURCES:

• New York Post — Californians torch Gavin Newsom’s ‘Stop Nick Shirley Act’
• Daily Caller — Newsom signs law dubbed the ‘Stop Nick Shirley Act’
• Breitbart — Newsom signs the ‘Stop Nick Shirley Act’ into law
• Los Angeles Times — Newsom signs bill shielding immigrant aid workers’ home addresses
• Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez — Statement on AB 2624