As multiple cities in California grapple with hate flyers left in people’s driveways containing antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ messages by self-described “alt-right” groups, law enforcement has had its hands tied due to concerns with First Amendment speech protections. 

But as the old saying goes, free speech doesn’t mean someone can yell ‘Fire!” in a crowded theater, and a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom this week aims to designate these targeted hate-messaging campaigns as illegal intimidation.   

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Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.