Overview
- AB 2624, which would shield immigration service workers from doxxing and threats, cleared the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee in an 11–2 vote on April 7 and now awaits a hearing in the Judiciary Committee.
- The proposal bars posting a covered worker’s home address, personal details, or image online when the poster intends to threaten them or to incite someone to commit imminent violence.
- The bill also creates an address‑confidentiality program run by the Secretary of State that lets protected workers use a state‑issued substitute address in public records so agencies do not disclose their real locations.
- Violations could bring at least $4,000 in civil damages and criminal penalties up to a $10,000 fine or a year in jail, with felony‑level penalties and up to a $50,000 fine if the posting leads to bodily harm.
- Sponsor Mia Bonta says the measure targets doxxing, not reporting, while Republican critics led by Carl DeMaio call it the “Stop Nick Shirley Act” and warn it could chill citizen investigations tied to Nick Shirley’s viral fraud videos; Democrats have until the end of August to send the bill to the governor.