A taxpayer-funded chief of staff earning more than $207,000 a year allegedly crashed a journalist's sidewalk interview outside the California Capitol with a sexually crude sign, and now faces formal HR complaints that sources say will carry consequences.

Terry Schanz, chief of staff to Democratic Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor of Los Angeles, allegedly barged into independent journalist Nick Shirley's interview on August 19 holding a handwritten sign that read, "Allegedly Nick Shirley Has a Small Penis. Prove Me Wrong." Schanz then repeated the insult aloud to bystanders, the New York Post reported.

Shirley had been interviewing California politicians on the sidewalk about Assembly Bill 2624, a measure that would shield immigrant-run businesses, including health care providers, from what the bill's sponsors call "online harassment" and doxxing. Schanz apparently took exception to Shirley's presence and chose to make it personal.

Three days later, KCRA journalist Ashley Zavala reported that the stunt had triggered a formal response inside the Legislature. Multiple sources told Zavala that several complaints had been filed with the California Legislature's human resources department, and that Schanz would face consequences.

Zavala posted on X:

"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."

Neither Schanz nor McKinnor's office has publicly responded to the complaints or the incident itself, based on available reporting. The Legislature's HR department has not confirmed receipt of the filings or commented on any pending disciplinary action.

Schanz earns $207,828 a year, paid by California taxpayers

Schanz draws $17,319 a month in taxpayer-funded compensation, $207,828 annually, for his role as McKinnor's chief of staff. He also serves as chairman of the Sacramento Democratic Party, a position that has drawn its own share of controversy. Local moderates and conservatives have accused him of aggressive political bullying and freezing out opponents within the party apparatus.

The crude sidewalk stunt is not the first time Schanz's conduct has drawn scrutiny. His name surfaced in a 2025 wrongful-termination lawsuit that contained allegations of political bullying and a toxic workplace culture within top Assembly leadership. The plaintiff and case details have not been publicly identified in available reporting.

Earlier this year, in January, Schanz's office faced questions over allegations that staff pressured CalMatters, a nonprofit California newsroom, to alter footage involving McKinnor. The dispute reportedly began after a CalMatters reporter asked McKinnor about an expensive designer handbag. The outcome of that episode remains unclear.

A pattern of conduct like this would raise red flags in any workplace. In a taxpayer-funded legislative office, it raises questions about who, if anyone, has been holding Schanz accountable, and whether McKinnor has tolerated behavior from her top aide that would get a private-sector employee walked out the door. The broader Democratic caucus in California has not exactly been a model of professional discipline. Recent revelations about Sen. Ruben Gallego's relationships with congressional staffers suggest the party's internal accountability mechanisms need serious work.

AB 2624 sits on Newsom's desk, Republicans call it the 'Stop Nick Shirley Act'

The bill Shirley was asking politicians about on the day Schanz interrupted him has its own contentious history. Assembly Bill 2624, authored by Democratic Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, calls for protections for immigrant-run businesses from online harassment and doxxing. The California Senate passed the measure 30-10 along strict party lines.

The bill now sits on Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom's desk. He has until September 30 to sign or veto it.

Shirley has been a vocal critic of the legislation. He has said the bill was created after he "exposed widespread fraud in immigrant communities" in California and Minnesota. Republicans have dubbed it the "Stop Nick Shirley Act," framing it as an effort to shield fraud from journalistic scrutiny rather than protect vulnerable populations from genuine harassment.

That framing puts the sidewalk incident in a sharper light. A legislative staffer earning over $200,000 a year in public money did not engage with a journalist's reporting or challenge his facts. He showed up with a crude, sexually themed sign designed to humiliate. Whether Schanz acted on his own initiative or with his boss's knowledge is one of several questions that remain unanswered.

The episode also fits a broader pattern of Democratic officials and operatives facing scrutiny for personal conduct that clashes with the party's stated values. A Texas Democratic House candidate was recently found to have solicited explicit photos from women through social media, and similar scandals have surfaced in multiple states.

No public response from McKinnor as questions mount

McKinnor has not publicly addressed her chief of staff's conduct. She has not said whether she was aware of Schanz's plan to confront Shirley, whether she condones the behavior, or whether she intends to take any action of her own. For a lawmaker whose office already faced scrutiny over the CalMatters footage allegations, the silence is conspicuous.

The nature of the consequences Schanz faces remains undefined. Zavala's sources indicated that discipline is coming, but no one has specified whether that means a reprimand, suspension, termination, or something else entirely. The California Legislature's HR process is not known for its transparency, and taxpayers footing Schanz's salary have no clear window into how the complaints will be resolved.

Across the country, Democratic officials have faced a string of conduct-related controversies that the party has struggled to address cleanly. Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's admitted sexual encounters with a married bodyguard and sexual misconduct allegations against a Maine Democratic Senate candidate have added to the impression that the party's internal enforcement is weak or selective.

Schanz's case is different in kind, a crude public stunt rather than a private scandal, but the underlying problem is the same. When a party's staffers and officeholders face no meaningful accountability for unprofessional or harassing behavior, the conduct continues. And when the person in question draws a $207,000 taxpayer salary, the public has every right to demand better.

California voters pay Terry Schanz's salary. They did not sign up to fund a man who responds to journalism with locker-room insults on a poster board.