Overview
- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2624 into law on Aug. 22, 2026, adding employees, volunteers and providers at immigrant aid nonprofits to California’s Safe at Home program.
- The law requires organizations or workers to register with the secretary of state and document a threat within the past year to obtain a state-issued substitute mailing address that most government agencies must accept.
- AB 2624 makes it unlawful to post a participant’s personal information or image online with the intent to incite imminent great bodily harm or to cause reasonable fear for safety and creates civil and criminal penalties tied to those actions.
- The measure drew GOP criticism as the so-called “Stop Nick Shirley Act,” and recent confrontations involving influencer Nick Shirley and a Capitol staffer amplified national debate over whether the law could be used against journalists.
- Supporters say the law protects workers facing doxxing, stalking and threats when serving immigrant communities, while civil liberties groups warn the statute could be misapplied and say its real effects will depend on how the secretary of state implements the program when it opens on Oct. 1, 2027.