California Dems Ram Through “Stop Nick Shirley Act” to Shield Immigrant Welfare Scammers from Journalists
Sacramento Democrats just voted 11-2 to ram through AB 2624, a blatant assault on free speech dressed up as “protection” for immigrant service providers. Authored by Assemblymember Mia Bonta, the bill lets nonprofits and providers sue journalists and YouTubers for $4,000-plus in civil penalties, slap them with four-year injunctions, and even push criminal charges if they post videos exposing alleged fraud in taxpayer-funded programs.
Critics are rightly calling it the “Stop Nick Shirley Act” after the young independent journalist whose viral videos blew the lid off ghost-client daycares and hospices allegedly milking California’s immigrant aid system for millions in public dollars. Instead of cracking down on the scammers ripping off hardworking taxpayers, Sacramento wants to muzzle the watchdogs who caught them.
This isn’t about safety—it’s about shielding fraudsters and killing investigative reporting that embarrasses the ruling class. First Amendment be damned: if this garbage passes, exposing government waste in blue-state welfare programs could land you in court or worse. California taxpayers are footing the bill for the scams—now Democrats want to make sure nobody talks about it.