Newsom signs bill critics call the 'Stop Nick Shirley Act,' threatening fines and jail for exposing nonprofit immigration workers
California's governor signed a law that could punish anyone who posts information or images of nonprofit immigration workers with fines up to $50,000 and prison time, and critics say it was written to silence one independent journalist.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2624 into law on Saturday, expanding the state's "Safe at Home" program to cover employees of nonprofits that help people navigate the U.S. immigration system.
The bill, introduced in February by Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, an Alameda Democrat, penalizes anyone who distributes or posts information or images of immigration workers in a way that "incites violence or threats." Violators face fines ranging from $10,000 to $50,000, plus sentences from one year in county jail to state prison time.
Republican Assemblyman Carl DeMaio of San Diego coined the nickname that stuck: the "Stop Nick Shirley Act." The bill, he argued, is meant to intimidate people "trying to shine light on bad behavior." The law does not take effect until October 1, 2027, by which point Newsom, limited by term limits, will no longer hold office.
Terry Schanz, chief of staff to Democratic Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor, interrupted Shirley while he was conducting an interview outside the Capitol. Schanz held up a printed flyer and, according to reporting attributed to the New York Post, made a crude public statement about the journalist:
"Did you guys hear that Nick Shirley has a small penis allegedly?"
Schanz earns $17,319 per month in taxpayer-funded compensation. Multiple complaints were filed against him with the legislature's human resources department following the incident. The content of those complaints and the identity of the filers have not been disclosed.
When the government's response to embarrassing journalism is not a rebuttal but a criminal statute, the problem is not the journalist.
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