California Assembly Bill 2624, dubbed by critics the “Stop Nick Shirley Act,” passed the California Assembly on Tuesday, raising concerns among opponents that undercover journalism and fraud investigations could be restricted—including investigations conducted by independent journalist Nick Shirley.
Shirley, who uncovered hundreds of millions of dollars of daycare fraud in Minnesota and hospice fraud in California, took to X to share his thoughts on the vote.
According to the bill’s text, AB 2624 would “prohibit a person from posting on the internet the personal information or image of a designated immigration support services provider, employee, or volunteer, or other individuals residing at the same home address.”
This would be done through California’s existing Safe at Home program, which provides substitute mailing addresses for individuals concerned about their safety.
The program currently includes protections for “victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking, child abduction, and elder or dependent adult abuse, as well as reproductive health care workers and public entity employees who are in fear for their safety.”
Supporters of the bill argue it is intended to protect immigration service providers by adding them to the list of protected individuals.
However, Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego, a vocal opponent of the bill, argues the legislation has consequences for journalists trying to uncover fraud in California.
“If you show up and take video of those providers under this bill, all they would have to do is hand a business card over to the investigative journalist, and if they posted that evidence that they caught on video on the internet, they would be violating this law,” he said.
DeMaio continued, “The lawyers in this room know that, absolutely under this language, it would be prohibited from being posted to the internet. This is outrageous. … When you vote for this, that is what you are voting to do.”
Assemblymember Mia Bonta, D-Oakland, the wife of California Attorney General Rob Bonta, authored the bill, drawing outrage among conservatives that blocking the information is a conflict of interests.
Bonta has responded on social media, calling such concerns “MAGA misinformation.”
“If MAGA can’t tell the difference between journalism and doxxing, that’s on them, because under my bill, there are no provisions related to journalism or fraud. This bill does not infringe on the First Amendment,” she wrote.
The bill, which passed the Assembly by a 57-19 vote, now heads to the California Senate, where lawmakers will decide whether to advance it to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.
Angelina Delfin is California correspondent for the Daily Signal.
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.
As usual, the Democratic leadership wishes to keep its frauds under wraps so it can continue to commit these crimes of ripping off the American taxpayers.
Stop all Nicks at any cost, prevent them from exposing the truth at any cost, mantra of the left, truth must be suppressed, if violence and beyond it is needed so be it, do what you must to stop the truth from coming out.
I’ve said on here before, the Demorat Party is a full blown criminal organization now! They are so furious now that there crimes are being exposed everyday, that they are openly trying to pass a law to make it illegal to expose there crimes! Since California is the King of the liberal states, watch others follow there lead. New York, Illinois, Colorado, Washington, ect…
Demonrats love to scream 1st amendment rights but when they’re stepping on others 1st amendment rights, it’s different story! Funny how these left wing corrupt cowards can twist, spin and outright lie to energize their low IQ voters to believe everything these anti-American commie bas$ards tell them!
I have an idea. Let’s build a border wall around CA, exspell them as a state of our union, then let them fly on their own and then see how long it takes them to crash into the ground. I say good riddance to CA. You’re as worthless as teats on a boar hog.
Only democrats would pass a law to make it against the law to expose fraud……..liberal lunacy at its finest.
thieves just hate to be caught.
They are mad they got caught. Now they are making it illegal to expose their illegal activities.
It’s the California liberals who don’t know the difference between doxxing and journalism. And don’t care.
How bad is CA? The Devil knows…
censorship on a governmental scale
Evil likes to silence the truth…come on Democrats fight fair. Come on Californians, the Elites of your state live high on the hog(in gated communities) , while the everyday person scrimps and saves to make ends meet, and survive in an environment created by them .
Ah…Californians. There could be shite on a plate, they could be TOLD it’s shite, decide it LOOKS like shite, and as a group agree that it SMELLS like shite. And they’d eat it if they were told to do so because “it’s good” for them. They’d elect the very people who put the plate in front of them and encouraged them to consume it.
Obviously these Marxists want the fraud to continue. No one cares about the taxpayers money. Communism on display.
This bill is a violation of the US Constitution.
The Democrats are no longer the party of our parents. They are criminals, communist, socialist, radical un American politicians who should be prosecuted for what they’ve done.
California should be held accountable for this violation of the first amendment for Nick Shirley, and any other reporter who tries to investigate crime.
the mainstream media should be very afraid
this is 1ST AMENDMENT stuff
Why would they pass a law like that?
If the elections there aren’t fixed, then the legal voters should wake up and vote out all Democrats and Rino’s, they’ve proved time and again that they’re not fit nor capable to run an honest, efficient government. Are they all stoned? Is there something in the water that makes people complacent?They should have elected Larry Elder. Maybe they did.
This ‘law’ has a snowball’s chance in hell of surviving a Court challenge.
If it is passed it is going to wind up in court immediately as an infringement of the First Amendment rights of journalists and freedom of the press issues. Even the ninth might be able to see through this thinly veiled husband-wife protection scheme–wonder what the Bontas have to hide?
making it harder to expose fraud is the whole point of this bill because they don’t eant it exposed. they benefit from it.
Go figure….”can’t expose their fraud !!!
So, let me get this straight. Exposing fraud and illegal activities is against the law in CA… WTFruit! If we dox illegal activities and imposters perpetrating the fraud against Seniors and United States citizens who depend on Medicaid and SNAP monies to survive, then a person is doxxing?!?! No matter how you say it, or what language you use in a bill, illegal means illegal. Seriously, where does the insanity start and/or stop? Stop the madness! The government in CA sees good as evil and evil as good. Nick Shirley was spot on and totally within his rights to expose fraud. Thanks to him, we are all informed of the truth!
Clearly a violation of his 1st Amendment right, Unconstitutional from the start.
They are terrified that their best source of campaign contributions will be lost.
California is no longer an American state, but a secessionist state. Almost all blue states are in open rebellion against the Federal government. The whole collection of underminers of the Constitution should be rounded up, charged with treason, convicted and executed in the public square. Democrats have made it quite clear that it’s only Democracy when they win. They hate “we, the people of the United States“ and have no respect for us at all. Arrest and trial just might put an end to it.
How can anyone stop his being a journalist who is investigating fraud? That is NOT illegal. What a laugh. The Democrats /Communists in Trump’s first term worked very hard and very long to prove that their “Russian Hoax” was real….and it was not and it was proven. Now we have a legal investigator trying to get the facts against a REAL CRIME so the Democrats/Communists have to stop it. These Commies are so contorted about the TRUTH because they can only LIE ALL of the time. The gig is up and “We Won’t Be Fooled Again”!!! Praying for a huge RED WAVE in the mid-terms. All of you conservatives, get your bodies to the polls and VOTE to save our country from COMMUNISM!!!!
The Democrats bill only restricts free speech soas to protect their fellow fraudsters! I predict this one going to the Supreme Court sooner rather than later!
The dems remind me of a kitty litter box. Always covering their messes and hiding their stuff.
And they are NOT “Immigration service providers.” They are ILLEGAL ALIEN service providers, stealing our taxes ILLEGALLY for invaders who are not even supposed to be here. Why are they not arrested! Not only are they Aiding/Abetting/Harboring~
they’re stealing OUR money to do it. And how about we get a law passed that it’s ILLEGAL (with consequences for a change) to call them IMMIGRANTS!
Democrats are Communists! There is no low they won’t go to get their way.
NEVER VOTE FOR A DEMOCRAT, AND CHOOSE YOUR CONSERVATIVES WISELY!
Bring on the 1st Amendment violation lawsuits! In the meantime, Nick deserves some cover fire. One of the alphabet media outlets needs to either directly hire Shirley or contract his services as an independent journalist. Newson and crew will not want to take on the big guns. That would be way too costly for them on every level.
OK JD. Your fraud team needs to flex it’s Federal muscle if the Dems in CA want to silence a 24yr old independent journalist. Really Gavin? There’s no place to hide. Even behind this ridiculous piece of garbage excuse for legislation. Bring on JD and the Feds!
Damn censorship Goes Both ways Ban the Leftist media
This seems like a conflict of interest(s)…..theres always someone married or related to someone in politics in California….”Assemblymember Mia Bonta, D-Oakland, the wife of California Attorney General Rob Bonta, authored the bill, drawing outrage among conservatives that blocking the information is a conflict of interests.”
For 100 years, everyone’s address and phone number was published and widely distributed annually to everyone.
Now, there are no more phone books and every spammer on the planet has my phone number and every other piece of private information about me.
And you wonder why we occasionally go berserk.
What they are doing is criminalizing the exposure of marxist corruption.
Is that really how we do things in a free country.
Commiefornia is ruining America. I am ashamed of them