SIGNED // AB 2624
‘THE NICK SHIRLEY ACT’ SIGNED, EFFECTIVE OCT. 2027
8/22/26 UPDATE: Democrat Party Governor Gavin Newsom has signed the unconstitutional AB 2624, known as “The Nick Shirley Act, “ which will go into effect on October 1, 2027. Read the California Post coverage. This SaveCalifornia.com bill alert has expired. To understand more about AB 2624, please read below.
Summary: Despite recent bill amendments, this horrible effort by Assemblywoman Mia Bonta (wife of Attorney General Rob Bonta) STILL punishes independent journalists for uncovering fraudulent use of federal tax dollars spent on “services to” illegal aliens in California.
August 19 bill status: AB 2624 is on the Governor’s desk (arrived August 19 @ 1:30 pm, and Gov. Newsom has 12 days to sign or veto it, so his final day to act is Monday, Aug. 31). On August 19, the Assembly floor vote was 59 of 60 Democrats voted yes, and all 19 Republicans voted no; on August 18, the Senate floor vote was all 30 Democrats voted yes, and all 10 Republicans voted no. Despite the supermajority Democrats advancing this unconstitutional bill, it’s plausible that presidential wannabe Gavin Newsom could veto it to avoid negative federal lawsuit news in 2027 and 2028.
Q&A – Understand AB 2624
Q: How does the amended AB 2624 punish free speech?
A: As amended July 2, AB 2624 continues to punish independent journalists (Note: Quoted copy below is from the actual language in AB 2624):
1) By prohibiting conservative investigative journalists from doing what they do — collecting video of wrongdoing and wrongdoers, and posting it on the web and social media to blow the whistle on corrupt Democrat-Party-controlled government.
The bill says:
“A person, business, or association shall not knowingly publicly post or publicly display, disclose, or distribute on the internet the personal information or image of any designated immigration support services provider, employee, or volunteer, or other individuals residing at the same home address, with the specific intent to do either of the following:
“(A) Incite a third person to cause imminent great bodily harm to the designated immigration support services provider, employee, or volunteer identified in the posting or display, or to a coresident of that person, where the third person is likely to commit this imminent harm.
“(B) Threaten the designated immigration support services provider, employee, or volunteer identified in the posting or display, or a coresident of that person, in a manner that places the person identified or the coresident in objectively reasonable fear for their personal safety.”
[Below are penalties for making anyone feel “reasonable fear for their personal safety”]:
2) By suing and hauling into court Nick Shirley or other independent journalists, AB 2624 would be used to accuse them of making people feel “threatened” and “fearing” for their safety.
The amended AB 2624 says:
“Threaten the designated immigration support services provider, employee, or volunteer identified in the posting or display, or a coresident of that person, in a manner that places the person identified or the coresident in objectively reasonable fear for their personal safety.
“Threaten the program participant or their coresident in a manner that places the program participant or their coresident in objectively reasonable fear for their personal safety.“
Therefore:
Under AB 2624, it would be up to liberal judges or jurors (in Democrat-Party-run California, and in urban areas), who side with liberal attorneys and pro-illegal-alien organizations, and they’d likely deliver judgments against Nick Shirley and other conservative investigative journalists, finding them “liable” under AB 2624.
A judge or jury could “grant injunctive or declarative relief and shall award the successful plaintiff court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees…and “shall award damages to that individual in an amount up to a maximum of three times the actual damages, but in no case less than four thousand dollars ($4,000).”