A California Democrat collecting a $200,000-plus taxpayer-funded salary apparently had better things to do with his workday than work, like crashing journalist Nick Shirley’s sidewalk interview with a crude sign about his penis.
Terry Schanz, chief of staff to Democratic Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor, barged into Shirley’s interview outside the California State Capitol in Sacramento carrying a piece of paper that read:
“Allegedly Nick ShirleyHas a Small Penis. Prove Me Wrong.”
“Did you guys hear that Nick Shirley has a small penis allegedly?” Schanz asked. Schanz pulls down $17,319 a month, or $207,828 a year, in taxpayer-funded compensation.
And the penis-sign stunt is hardly the only controversy surrounding the radical left-wing operative.
Schanz’s name previously surfaced amid a 2025 wrongful-termination lawsuit involving allegations of political bullying and a toxic workplace culture within top Assembly leadership.
His office also faced scrutiny in January over allegations that it pressured CalMatters to censor footage of a reporter asking McKinnor a tough question about an expensive designer handbag.
As Sacramento Democratic Party chair, Schanz has additionally faced accusations from local moderates and conservatives of aggressive political bullying and freezing out opponents.
Now he is back in the spotlight for an incident that looked less like California state government and more like a middle-school hallway.
Shirley, clearly unimpressed by the interruption, replied: “Wow that’s so adult of you. You have never seen it. You would never see it.”
“Well I don’t know, this is what they’re reporting,” Schanz said. “Prove me wrong. It was good enough for Charlie Kirk, prove me wrong.”
Shirley eventually grabbed the stack of papers, prompting Schanz to demand them back as Shirley laughed.
The spectacle unfolded while Shirley was questioning California politicians about Assembly Bill 2624, the “Privacy for immigration support services providers” bill.
The legislation, authored by Democratic Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, calls for protections for immigrant-run businesses, including health care providers, from “online harassment” and doxxing.
Republicans have mockingly dubbed it the “Stop Nick Shirley Act.”
Shirley criticized the measure, saying it was created after he “exposed widespread fraud in immigrant communities” in Minnesota.
The bill has passed the California Legislature and is now sitting on Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. Newsom has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto it.
The Senate passed the measure 30-10 along strict party lines.
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