CRITICS DON’T CALL IT THE “STOP NICK SHIRLEY ACT” FOR NOTHIN’: New California Law Shields Taxpayer-Funded Entities.

An immigration activist group that receives substantial taxpayer funding helped push a California law creating new privacy protections for immigrant-service organizations, drawing criticism from watchdogs who say the measure will reduce transparency and public accountability.

AB 2624, which California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in August, extends a privacy program to immigrant-serving nonprofits, their staff, and volunteers, allowing them to acquire substitute addresses in public records rather than their home and business addresses. The law also bans anyone from posting information on the internet with the intent of enabling another person to threaten violence against an immigration support services provider.

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights — which received more than two-thirds of its revenue from government grants between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2025 — co-sponsored, testified in support of, and lobbied for the bill. CHIRLA, which operates an “immigrant political power project,” did not respond when asked whether it expects to apply for the protections in the bill.

Translation: They have applied or soon will apply.