Governor Gavin Newsom has approved a legislative expansion of California’s Safe at Home program, extending eligibility to individuals who provide legal aid, counseling, and other assistance to immigrants. The measure, Assembly Bill 2624, takes effect on October 1, 2027.
The legislation allows eligible service providers, their employees, and volunteers to keep their home addresses confidential by using an alternative mailing address managed through the California secretary of state. Participants may also cast votes confidentially. The law prohibits businesses or individuals from knowingly posting the personal information, images, or addresses of program participants online with the intent to incite imminent great bodily harm against them.
Violations carry a civil penalty of $4,000.
Supporters argued the expansion was necessary due to rising threats against immigration advocates. Attorney General Rob Bonta stated during the final legislative vote that organizations had reported staff and volunteers being doxxed, followed, filmed at work, and threatened, with harassment sometimes extending to their families. He emphasized that these were not hypothetical concerns.
The measure faced strong opposition from some Republican lawmakers, who argued it infringed upon constitutional protections for a free press. The political tension culminated in a public confrontation between Nick Shirley, a conservative social media influencer, and Terry Schanz, chief of staff for Democratic Assemblymember Tina McKinnor.
A widely shared recording shows Schanz confronting Shirley outside the state Capitol and making personal insults regarding Shirley’s anatomy. Assembly officials declined to comment on whether Schanz would face disciplinary action.
