Author: Ashkan Soltani
Published: Nov 08, 2024
Last month marked my three-year anniversary as Executive Director of the Agency, and a great opportunity to reflect on the progress we’ve made as an organization as well as my personal journey.
Since starting as the Agency’s first employee in 2021, we’ve managed to grow the Agency to nearly 45 staff. As a team, we’ve overcome numerous hurdles and become an exemplar of government efficiency along the way.
In addition to tackling all the challenges and complexities of standing up an independent government agency whole cloth within the bureaucracy of the state, we were also able to successfully promulgate our first substantive rulemaking package with just a mere skeleton staff of fewer than a dozen employees. We also fought off numerous attempts at federal pre-emption and we were welcomed into the community of international data protection regulators in the Global Privacy Assembly and Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities.
We also launched a statewide public education campaign and privacy.ca.gov, geared towards informing Californians about their privacy rights. In addition, we successfully satisfied our obligations to stand up our Data Broker Registry in less than two months. The Enforcement Division also began enforcement and oversight efforts as soon as we were empowered to do so in July 2023.
The Agency is in a very different position now than it was at the time of my appointment three years ago. We’re no longer a ‘startup’ in state government but have skilled Legal, Policy & Legislation, and Admin divisions that can support the Board in many aspects of the Agency’s operations. Enforcement is humming along nicely, as you’re aware in the recent sweep announcements – and we have dozens of open investigations underway which I’m excited about.
And it is at this juncture that I believe it’s the right time for me to step down as Executive Director.
It’s been an honor and privilege to serve as the founding Executive Director of the CPPA. Californians enjoy the strongest privacy protections in the nation, thanks in part to the remarkable dedication and hard work of our talented team. I am confident the Agency is well-positioned to continue leading California—and the nation—in privacy and consumer protection, setting new standards, shaping policies that put people first, and building a future where individuals’ rights are protected and vigorously enforced.
While still at the helm, I will continue to lead the Agency in fulfilling our delegated responsibilities. At the same time, I am working closely with staff and our board to ensure a smooth and stable transition as the Agency enters its next chapter. And once I depart, I will be cheering on the Agency as it continues to grow and mature in the coming decades.