A taxpayer-funded chief of staff allegedly interrupted a journalist’s sidewalk interview with a crude, sexually explicit sign, triggering formal HR complaints and renewed questions about accountability, workplace conduct, and a pending bill related to online harassment protections.
On August 19, independent journalist Nick Shirley was conducting interviews on the sidewalk outside the California Capitol when Terry Schanz, chief of staff to Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor, allegedly stepped into the scene with a handwritten poster. The sign read exactly, “Allegedly Nick Shirley Has a Small Penis. Prove Me Wrong.” Witnesses say Schanz repeated that insult aloud to bystanders, turning a professional exchange into a public humiliation.
Shirley had been asking lawmakers about Assembly Bill 2624, a measure authored by Assemblywoman Mia Bonta that aims to shield immigrant-run businesses from what sponsors describe as online harassment and doxxing. The encounter didn’t involve a debate over facts; it became a crude, personal stunt directed at a reporter who has been a vocal critic of the measure.
Three days after the sidewalk incident, reporting from KCRA indicated the stunt prompted formal action within the Legislature. Multiple sources told the station that several complaints were filed with the California Legislature’s human resources department and that Schanz would face consequences for his conduct. Zavala :
“Have heard from multiple sources over the last couple of days that several complaints have formally been filed with CALeg’s HR against Terry Schanz, Chief of Staff to LA Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor. I’ve also been told that Schanz will face consequences for how he behaved here.”
As of available reports, neither Schanz nor McKinnor’s office has issued a public response to the complaints or the stunt itself, and the Legislature’s HR department has not confirmed receipt of the filings or described any disciplinary steps. That silence leaves open basic questions about transparency and the process for handling complaints against senior staffers in taxpayer-funded offices.
Schanz’s compensation is public record: he draws $17,319 per month, or $207,828 annually, from California taxpayers for his role as chief of staff. He also serves as chairman of the Sacramento Democratic Party, a post that critics say has been accompanied by aggressive political tactics and allegations of bullying aimed at internal opponents. Those claims help explain why the sidewalk incident gained swift attention beyond a single awkward confrontation.
https://x.com/ZavalaA/status/2090967979572048334
This episode isn’t isolated in the timeline of Schanz’s career. His name appeared in a 2025 wrongful-termination lawsuit that alleged political bullying and a toxic workplace environment within top Assembly leadership, although the plaintiff’s identity and many case details remain sealed or unreported. Earlier in the year, questions were raised about whether staff in his office pressured a nonprofit newsroom over footage involving McKinnor, an allegation tied to an exchange about an expensive designer handbag; the ultimate resolution was not publicly disclosed.
When senior staffers behave in ways that resemble public harassment, it raises the standard-concern about who enforces norms inside government offices. In a private company, repeated misconduct can trigger swift discipline. In a taxpayer-funded legislative office, however, the accountability mechanisms are often opaque, and constituents have limited visibility into whether behavior that would get someone fired in the private sector is treated the same way under public employment rules.
The bill Shirley was probing, AB 2624, cleared the California Senate along party lines and now sits on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk, with a deadline of September 30 to act. Republicans have labeled the measure the “Stop Nick Shirley Act,” arguing the legislation is designed to insulate immigrant-run businesses from journalistic scrutiny rather than solely to protect vulnerable people from online abuse. Shirley himself contends the bill followed his reporting, which he says exposed widespread fraud in immigrant communities in California and Minnesota.
Beyond the specifics of the Schanz incident, recent months have featured a string of conduct controversies among Democratic officials and operatives, from reports involving elected members to accusations directed at candidates in other states. Those cases, and this one, fuel a common critique: internal enforcement within the party is uneven, and public trust suffers when serious personnel complaints are handled without transparency.
With a chief of staff on a seven-figure-plus annual payroll facing formal HR complaints for a public stunt, taxpayers deserve clarity about the process and outcomes. McKinnor’s silence so far only deepens the concern that questions about responsibility and discipline will remain unanswered as the Legislature continues its business and the governor weighs AB 2624.
