Governor Gavin Newsom just signed a law that critics say will make it nearly impossible to expose billions in taxpayer fraud, and now a GOP lawmaker is taking him to court.
California Assemblymember Carl DeMaio announced Sunday he is “prepared to file a lawsuit in the coming weeks” against Newsom over Assembly Bill 2624, which Republicans have nicknamed the “Stop Nick Shirley Act” after the 24-year-old conservative journalist who exposed an alleged $100 million in immigration program fraud.
“Governor Gavin Newsom, once again, you are a bully, trying to silence citizen watchdogs into not exercising their First Amendment rights and exposing your fraud,” DeMaio declared on Fox News. “The billions of dollars you’ve allowed to be wasted in precious taxpayer funds, all to because you want the benefit of these left-wing NGOs to help you politically.”
The law, officially titled “Privacy for immigration support services providers,” conceals the real home addresses of immigration service workers. Supporters claim it protects workers from harassment and doxing. Opponents argue it shields potentially fraudulent organizations from legitimate investigation.
Newsom signed the bill on August 22nd despite widespread pushback. It takes effect October 1, 2027.
DeMaio, a San Diego Republican and longtime Newsom critic, said he’s been building a coalition since the signing. “The past several days since the ‘Stop Nick Shirley Act’ was signed into law we’ve been working with a coalition of civil liberty protectors and we are prepared to file a lawsuit in the coming weeks to get this into the courts and then it is our hope that the U.S. Department of Justice will file to intervene in that case.”
The assemblymember didn’t mince words about what he sees as the real purpose behind the legislation.
“They say they provide public services to immigrants when, in fact, they organize rallies, they harvest ballots, they endorse candidates and ballot measures during campaigns, and they are an extension of the Democrat Party,” DeMaio charged.
He drew comparisons to fraud investigations elsewhere in the country. “If you were worried about Somali daycare centers in Minnesota not having children in the daycare, take a look at California government NGOs receiving taxpayer funds and not having any sort of public services that they’re delivering.”
Newsom and the Democrat supermajority have “created such a monumental problem with fraud, of taxpayer money being abused, that its clear that its intentional,” DeMaio argued.
“You’re going to be exposed as a bully,” he said, addressing Newsom directly. “You’re going to be exposed as the fraud ringleader.”
Nick Shirley, the independent journalist whose investigations prompted the bill’s nickname, gained national attention after uncovering the alleged fraud involving immigration programs in California and Minnesota. His work attracted a massive social media following. He called for supporters to protest the bill on August 26th outside Capitol Hill in Sacramento.
The governor’s office pushed back hard against the criticism. Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson for Newsom, told Fox News that “this law has nothing to do with Nick Shirley,” claiming that “the real controversy here is that MAGA Republicans are either lying to create up fake conspiracy theories, or none of them know how to read.”
DeMaio emphasized the constitutional stakes involved. He maintains the bill violates First Amendment rights by blocking journalists and citizen investigators from accessing public information needed to expose government waste.
The coming lawsuit could set up a significant legal battle over transparency, fraud prevention, and the limits of privacy protections for those receiving taxpayer funds.
