Gavin Newsom just signed a bill that opponents say shields fraud from independent journalists.
The California governor put his name on legislation officially called "Privacy for immigration support services providers" this past Saturday, and the backlash is absolutely scorching. As reported, critics have slapped the law with a brutal nickname: the "Stop Nick Shirley Act," coined by opponent DeMaio in reference to the wildly popular independent journalist and YouTuber who has blown the lid off alleged fraud schemes involving public funds.
So what does this thing actually do? It expands California's existing "Safe at Home" program, which has been around since 1999. That program lets certain vulnerable people, like survivors of domestic violence and stalking, use a government substitute mailing address instead of their real home address in public records. The new law now extends that same protection to immigration support services providers, their staff, and volunteers at nonprofits, legal clinics, law offices, and health facilities who claim they face threats or harassment connected to their work. Applicants need to register with the state and prove a relevant threat occurred within the previous year.
Here's where it gets really spicy. The legislation also makes it illegal to knowingly post, sell, or share a participant's personal details or images online with the intent to facilitate harassment, violence, or credible threats.
Assemblymember Mia Bonta, who introduced the bill back in February, made thinly veiled references to viral fraud investigations without naming anyone specifically. She claimed immigrant service providers are "living in fear because of extremists" trying to demonize their work.
Meanwhile, Nick Shirley has been doing exactly the kind of reporting that makes powerful people uncomfortable. Back in December 2025, he released a video exposing daycare facilities in Minneapolis that were collecting massive public payments through the state's Child Care Assistance Program. He physically visited multiple locations, including the Quality Learning Center, which hilariously misspelled "Learning" as "Learing" on its own sign, and found virtually no children present despite the centers being licensed for significant capacity. Sources tied to his reporting cited tens of millions in funding flowing to several centers since roughly fiscal year 2020. One facility voluntarily surrendered its license in early January 2026, and others have since faced criminal charges.
Shirley then turned his camera toward California in early 2026, investigating hospice and daycare providers. He uncovered clusters of licensed hospice companies crammed into single addresses or office parks around Los Angeles, many appearing barely occupied, while allegedly raking in enormous Medi-Cal billings. Both federal and state authorities have separately pursued fraud cases in California's public services sector, particularly involving hospice providers.
Opponents of the new law argue that provisions restricting the posting of images and personal information could create serious legal landmines for journalists documenting potential misconduct. First Amendment concerns are flying left and right.
The timing of this bill is, shall we say, extraordinarily convenient. A journalist exposes alleged fraud involving publicly funded organizations, and Sacramento responds by making it harder to investigate those very organizations. You cannot make this stuff up.
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