California Assemblyman Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego) is not backing down. After Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2624 — officially “Privacy for immigration support services providers” and nicknamed by Republicans the “Stop Nick Shirley Act” — DeMaio says he is prepared to file a lawsuit in the coming weeks.
The law expands California’s Safe at Home program so immigration service providers can keep home addresses confidential. Supporters say it protects workers from harassment and doxxing. DeMaio and other Republicans argue it is designed to stop citizen journalists from documenting and posting video evidence of waste, fraud, and abuse involving taxpayer-funded groups.
“What does the Stop Nick Shirley Act do? It basically makes it illegal for a citizen journalist to document fraud of taxpayer money and post that on the internet in the form of an internet video,” DeMaio told Fox News. He called Newsom a bully trying to silence watchdogs while left-wing NGOs that organize rallies, harvest ballots, and function as an arm of the Democrat Party keep receiving public money.
DeMaio said a coalition of civil-liberty groups is assembling legal briefs and that they hope the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division will intervene. He has already asked DOJ to review the measure. The law was signed August 22 and is set to take effect October 1, 2027.
The nickname comes from independent journalist Nick Shirley, whose videos alleging large-scale fraud at Somali-run daycares in Minnesota and similar operations in California drew national attention. Democrats and Newsom’s office insist the bill has “nothing to do with Nick Shirley” and accuse critics of conspiracy theories. Newsom’s spokesperson called Shirley’s work “grifting.”
DeMaio’s response is blunt: California already has a “monumental problem” with taxpayer fraud. Instead of fixing it, Sacramento is trying to punish the people exposing it. If the First Amendment still means anything, the courts — and the Department of Justice — will have to decide whether hiding addresses and fining people who post videos is protection or a shield for corruption.
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