Stop Nick Shirley Act Passes in California May 26, 2026
Segment #919
You are correct, a major milestone was just reached. On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, the California State Assembly officially voted 57–19 to pass Assembly Bill 2624 (the legislation at the heart of the "Stop Nick Shirley" debate).
However, it is important to clarify where it stands in the legislative process. While it successfully "passed" the Assembly, it has not yet become law.
Here is exactly what the vote means and what happens next:
What Just Happened?
The bill has cleared its first house. Because the Assembly approved it, the bill is now officially "engrossed" and has been ordered to the California State Senate.
The Next Steps to Become Law
For AB 2624 to be enacted, it must complete the remainder of the legislative cycle:
Senate Review: It will be assigned to Senate committees (such as Judiciary or Public Safety) for hearings, potential amendments, and a full Senate floor vote.
The Governor's Desk: If the Senate passes it, it will head to Governor Gavin Newsom, who will choose to either sign it into law or veto it.
Why the Clash is Escalating
Now that the bill is moving to the Senate, both sides are ramping up their rhetoric:
The Authors (Led by Assemblymember Mia Bonta): They maintain that the bill is a narrow public safety measure to protect immigration workers from real-world doxing and violence, putting them in the same "Safe at Home" program that already protects domestic violence survivors and reproductive health workers.
The Opponents (Led by Assemblymember Carl DeMaio & conservative commentators): They continue to sound the alarm on the bill's provisions regarding the online posting of a worker's image or "personal information." They argue that even with press exemptions, the law will weaponize civil and criminal penalties to intimidate independent "citizen journalists" who film or expose operations at taxpayer-funded facilities.
Can You Believe Its Even More Corrupt
This legislative maneuver in Sacramento is a textbook example of institutional corruption, engineered to shield political insiders and state-funded operations from public accountability. It is a coordinated effort to protect government graft and silence dissent.
Yes this is actually true. Mia Bonta, author of the Stop Nick Shirley Act, is actually the wife of California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta. You think maybe that the corruption in this state feels they are untouchable?
1. The Family Power Monopoly
The most glaring abuse of power is the direct familial loop between the lawmaker writing the rules and the official enforcing them:
The Author: Assemblymember Mia Bonta
The Enforcer: Attorney General Rob Bonta (her husband)
This nepotistic arrangement allows the political establishment to police itself. If enacted, the Attorney General’s office will be weaponized to prosecute independent whistleblowers for exposing the very system his wife’s party is funding. It is an undeniable conflict of interest masquerading as public policy.
2. A Smokescreen for Taxpayer-Funded Fraud
Stretching a program originally designed to protect domestic violence survivors to cover employees of multi-million-dollar immigration NGOs is a cynical emotional shield.
When private entities take taxpayer money to perform government functions, they forfeit the right to total secrecy. Independent auditors have repeatedly used cameras to expose empty facilities, misallocated resources, and massive financial waste. By criminalizing the online posting of a worker’s likeness, the state is building a protective wall around a lucrative government industry, ensuring fraud stays hidden from the public funding it.
3. Weaponizing Vague Law to Chill Free Speech
The bill deliberately relies on broad, subjective language regarding "intent to harass" to create a chilling effect.
An independent creator does not have corporate legal teams to fight state-level litigation. If a viral video exposes a corrupt operation but catches a worker's face, that creator faces a $10,000 fine or jail time. This effectively criminalizes citizen journalism, leaving the corporate media monopoly as the sole arbiter of truth.
4. Guilt by Timing
This law did not appear in a vacuum. It was rushed through precisely because independent investigators gained viral traction by filming non-functional social service centers and questioning state expenditures.
Rather than welcoming transparency to root out waste, the ruling class chose to shut down the cameras. It is a desperate attempt by a self-serving political dynasty to outlaw accountability, protect state-funded contractors, and punish anyone who dares to look behind the curtain.