Fact Check: Did California Dem try to pass 'Stop Nick Shirley Act' to criminalize journalism?

WASHINGTON, DC: An unverified claim spread across social media in April 2026, alleging that California Assembly Democrats were advancing a bill called the 'Stop Nick Shirley Act' to criminalize investigative journalism.

Posts online dubbed the supposed measure the 'Stop Nick Shirley Act,' claiming it targeted a conservative content creator who had released a viral December 2025 video alleging fraud at Minnesota day care centers. Here’s what the facts show.

Claim: Democrats attempt to pass the 'Stop Nick Shirley Act'

According to the viral reports, California Democrats were attempting to pass a bill referred to as the 'Stop Nick Shirley Act,' which allegedly aimed to criminalize investigative journalism. Nick Shirley addressed the purported legislation in a TikTok video, stating that if it were enacted, Americans would face “mass oppression.”

An X user also posted about the claim, writing, “Nick Shirley is so effective that Gavin Newsom's California now wants to pass the STOP NICK SHIRLEY Act."

The post further alleged that a California assembly member warned the bill would criminalize “true investigative journalism,” adding that Shirley had exposed alleged fraud involving foreigners and was therefore “over target.”

The same post also shared an alleged statement attributed to California State Assembly member Carl DeMaio, which said, “California Democrats are trying to intimidate citizen watchdog journalists and protect waste and fraud happening in far-Left-wing NGOs.” It further claimed, "AB 2624 can only be described as the ‘Stop Nick Shirley Act’ — a bill designed to silence citizen journalists exposing fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars."

Fact Check: The claim about 'Stop Nick Shirley Act' is false

However, the claim that a bill called the 'Stop Nick Shirley Act' aimed to criminalize investigative journalism is false. Notably, there is no officially introduced or formally named bill called the 'Stop Nick Shirley Act.' In February 2026, Democratic Assembly Member Mia Bonta introduced AB 2624 as an extension of California’s Safe at Home program, which has operated since 1999. At the time of writing, the Assembly’s public safety committee was reviewing the bill.

A spokesperson for Bonta directed Snopes to a statement on her website dated April 14, 2026. In that statement, Bonta said her bill would “add immigrant service providers to the state’s Safe at Home program.”

She explained that the program already protects domestic violence survivors, reproductive care workers, and gender-affirming care providers. She also said that sharing the name and address of a front desk worker to intimidate them is not reporting or investigating fraud, but wrongdoing, and California should stand by that principle.

During a committee discussion of the bill in a video posted to Carl DeMaio’s YouTube page on April 13, 2026, DeMaio questioned Bonta about the bill’s language. He argued that the bill focused less on protection from violence and more on “threatening and intimidating people who are trying to shine a light on bad behavior.”

DeMaio also referenced Nick Shirley’s viral December 2025 video, where Shirley claimed he had found evidence of fraud at immigrant-run day cares in Minnesota. However, fact-checkers have widely debunked the claims made in that video.