_WHAT’S HAPPENING_
California Democrats are advancing a bill some have dubbed the “Stop Nick Shirley Act,” which would impose criminal penalties and fines up to $10,000 on anyone who publishes images or personal information of immigration service providers online.
The bill, AB 2624, which was authored by Democratic Assembly member Mia Bonta (who is married to California's Attorney General), was fast-tracked through its first committee vote and now heads to the Assembly Judiciary Committee.
AB 2624 appears designed to suppress the work of independent journalist Nick Shirley, whose viral investigations exposed hundreds of millions in fraud at California hospice centers, often committed by immigrants. Rather than fix the massive corruption Shirley uncovered, California Democrats are choosing to criminalize and prevent similar investigative journalism in the future.
_THE FACTS_
AB 2624 passed its first committee vote and now sits in the California Assembly Judiciary Committee.
The bill would allow immigration service providers to conceal their home and work addresses from public records through the California Secretary of State.
Violators who post protected individuals' images or information online could face up to a $10,000 fine or one year in county jail.
If sharing information results in bodily harm, penalties escalate to a $50,000 fine and felony imprisonment.
Program participants could file complaints in court and be awarded "up to a maximum of three times the actual damages, but in no case less than four thousand dollars."
Mia Bonta defended the bill, stating that immigrant service providers "are receiving death threats, being targeted at courthouses and facing coordinated online doxxing campaigns."
Republican Assembly member Carl DeMaio noted the bill does not provide an exemption for journalists.
Nick Shirley's March video alleging $170 million in hospice fraud amassed over 42 million views on X.
Following Shirley's reporting, the federal government suspended 447 hospices and 23 home health agencies suspected of fraud in Los Angeles, with estimated fraud exceeding $600 million
_OUR TAKE_
Rather than address the massive corruption uncovered by Nick Shirley, California Democrats responded by introducing this bill directly after his viral videos triggered federal enforcement action. The legislation appears specifically designed to suppress the investigative methods that have proven most effective at uncovering fraud that embarrasses state officials who were unable or unwilling to catch it.
The broader implications of this bill extend beyond California, threatening independent journalism everywhere. Shirley's model of citizen journalism — using publicly available information and on-the-ground video documentation — has proven extremely effective at exposing fraud.
Beyond the constitutionality of such laws, if AB 2624 is approved, similar legislation could emerge in other states, creating a patchwork of legal obstacles for independent investigators.
