Nick Shirley in California
Segment #780
This is the very beginning of Nick Shirley’s investigations in California
Nick Shirley is a 23-year-old right-wing YouTuber and social media influencer who gained massive attention in late 2025 for a viral video alleging widespread fraud in Somali-run child care centers in Minnesota (often described as "ghost" daycares claiming subsidies for non-existent children). His work led to congressional hearings, a temporary federal funding freeze on child care programs in several states, and significant political fallout, including contributing to scrutiny that affected figures like Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.Recently (as of early February 2026), Shirley has shifted focus to California, where he's investigating similar alleged fraud in child care facilities (particularly in San Diego, home to a large Somali community) and broader issues like missing billions in homelessness funding. In a congressional testimony related to the Minnesota case, he stated that fraud in California "might be worse than" Minnesota's, pointing to a reported $24 billion in unaccounted homelessness spending where outcomes couldn't be tracked despite rising homelessness numbers.He's been on the ground in California (including San Diego and Los Angeles areas like Skid Row), filming unannounced visits to daycares, speaking with homeless individuals, and collaborating with local figures like conservative activist Amy Reichert. Some reports describe his methods as vigilante-style surveillance, leading to harassment complaints from child care providers (who report fear, panic, increased security checks, and business impacts from strangers showing up with cameras). One account from a San Diego provider highlighted feeling unsafe due to potential risks like armed confrontations.His California efforts have sparked mixed reactions:
San Diego Day Care Investigation
"Ghost" Centers: Shirley and local researcher Amy Reichert have visited several home-based and commercial child care facilities in neighborhoods like City Heights. They claim to have found "red flags," such as facilities with high enrollment numbers but no children present during their unannounced visits.
Scope of Allegations: During a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Shirley stated he believes the fraud in California may be "even worse" than what he reported in Minnesota.
Local Collaboration: He has teamed up with Amy Reichert, a local private investigator, who claimed to find multiple suspicious centers using public inspection records.
Nick Shirley visit raises alarm for some San Diego child care providers
Nick Shirley is in San Diego working with a local private investigator who said she uncovered BILLION of dollars in "ghost daycare" fraud. Gov Newsome just sealed public information pertaining to daycares but the PI says she already has all she needs to blow the lid off California's rampant daycare fraud.
Broader Claims of State Fraud
Beyond child care, Shirley and Republican lawmakers like Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) have highlighted other areas of alleged financial mismanagement in the state:
NEWSOM'S HIGH-SPEED RAIL SCAM: Newsom is attempting to save his disastrous high-speed rail project, and he's trying to scam the public to make it happen! Learn what we're doing to cancel the project and refund the money to YOU!
Homelessness Spending: Shirley has pointed to a state audit suggesting that $24 billion spent on homelessness over the last five years lacks clear tracking or successful outcomes.
Public Projects: He has also mentioned the California High-Speed Rail project and unemployment insurance fraud as examples of broader systemic issues he intends to expose.
Shirley was joined by a whistleblower, who discovered inconsistencies and potential fraud within public voting roll records from the California Secretary of State. The roughly 22-minute video shows Shirley and the whistleblower visiting the listed addresses of registered voters, discovering that there were irregularities in the number of voters registered per location, voters inaccurately aged at 125 years old, among other suspicious issues.
