Investigations

Nick Shirley confronted California senators on AB2624

Critics call AB2624 the Stop Nick Shirley Act. It cleared the Senate 30-10 after he challenged its author, Mia Bonta, and lawmakers who advanced it.

The California Senate sent AB2624 toward the governor's desk with 30 yes votes and 10 no, capping a Capitol day in which Nick Shirley questioned members on a bill he and other critics have nicknamed the Stop Nick Shirley Act. Shirley told his audience the measure is meant to shield immigration support service providers, a category he said covers taxpayer-funded nonprofits, clinics, law offices, and similar sites, and that providers could block publication of exposé footage while critics who film or publish could face a $4,000 fine and the other party's legal fees when a provider claims reasonable fear.

Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, who introduced the bill and is married to Attorney General Rob Bonta, told Shirley that to her knowledge no legislation carried the name he used and that California does not support misinformation. Shirley displayed bill text and said a recent amendment removed Evidence Code 1070, which he described as the state's journalist shield; Bonta did not stay to discuss the language and left the encounter.

Shirley approached senators including Jesse, citing a July 30 committee analysis that said AB2624 raised the same First Amendment concerns as a reproductive-healthcare counterpart bill. Jesse had voted to advance the measure and did not respond in the hallway. Co-author Senator Lena Gonzalez told Shirley that clients of immigration support providers had been kidnapped by a hostile federal administration and that the bill was meant to keep those providers secure; Shirley pressed her on penalties for filming suspected fraud at those locations. Other members gave brief answers, declined to engage, or said they had not read the bill; Shirley said aides physically blocked access as word spread that he was in the building.

Outside the chamber Shirley clashed with Terry, whom he identified as chief of staff for the California State Assembly, over flyers mocking Shirley that Terry had been distributing; the exchange escalated when Shirley grabbed papers Terry had put in his face and Terry threatened to call 911. Shirley announced a rally on the Capitol steps in Sacramento on August 26 at 11 a.m. to oppose the bill. Coverage of the dispute has framed AB2624 as a fight between privacy for immigration service organizations and public scrutiny of funded programs, a debate Shirley's confrontations and the Senate roll call put on display the same day the chamber passed the measure.

Source video: Confronting California’s “Stop Nick Shirley Act” Politicians