Sarah Bridges, a third-year law student at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, recently achieved a monumental accomplishment by successfully drafting and helping pass a consumer privacy bill that is poised to close a major loophole in California's data privacy laws. The amended bill, Assembly Bill 1824 (AB 1824), was signed into law on Sept. 29, 2024.

Before enrolling at McGeorge School of Law, Bridges spent seven years working in the insurance industry in Arizona. During this time, she developed a deep interest in law – particularly in how policy and regulation intersect with consumer protections. Driven by that passion, she moved to California to pursue a legal education through McGeorge's prestigious Capital Lawyering Program. Bridges credits McGeorge’s unique program and its supportive alumni network for helping her land a transformative externship that would eventually lead to her success.

“I am incredibly grateful to McGeorge, especially the Capital Lawyering Program, which made this opportunity possible,” Bridges said. “It was through an introduction from a McGeorge alumnus and Adjunct Professor Jessica Gosney, ‘17 that I met Erinn Ryberg, ’13, who is the former Chair of the Capital Center Alumni Board, and current Chief of Staff for Assemblymember Avelino Valencia, that I began working for Valencia’s office.”

Bridges’s journey began in January, when she started working alongside Assemblymember Valencia's office as part of her externship. Valencia’s goal was to craft a bill that would provide stronger protections for consumers in the increasingly crowded and complicated world of artificial intelligence and data privacy. While the AI space was one of her initial focuses, Bridges quickly realized that a related issue in consumer privacy presented an even more pressing concern.

“I suggested that we could have a bigger impact on consumers by addressing a gap in the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA),” Bridges said. “What I found was a loophole that allowed companies to bypass privacy preferences when they acquired another company’s data.”

Under current law, when one company buys the data of another, it’s treated as the buyer’s property, meaning the privacy preferences of the acquired users were often ignored. Companies could use or sell that data without honoring the privacy choices of the people it originally belonged to. Notable examples of this practice include tech giants like Google’s acquisition of WhatsApp and Facebook’s purchase of Instagram, where user data was handled without respect for previous privacy settings.

Bridges proposed a solution: a bill that would require the purchasing company to respect the privacy preferences of the users from the acquired company. Under AB 1824, the acquiring company would have to provide an option for users to opt out of marketing or data sales — a step toward empowering consumers to retain control over their personal information.

As Bridges took ownership of the project, she dove into the research, drafting a factsheet, preparing background materials for legislative committees, and gathering support from stakeholders. She even helped organize witnesses to testify in favor of the bill. Her dedication paid off, as the bill passed through the legislature with overwhelming support — receiving zero "no" votes along the way.

“It was an incredible feeling of accomplishment, especially as a law student,” Bridges said.

“I’m so grateful to Assemblymember Valencia and his team for giving me the opportunity to contribute in such a meaningful way, and to my mentors Erinn Ryberg, ’13, and Legislative Director Nathaly Teran.”

AB 1824’s passage marks a significant win in the ongoing fight to protect consumer privacy, particularly in the face of rapid technological advancements and the complex ways in which companies handle personal data.

The bill’s success is also a testament to the impact that students and young professionals can have when given the chance to engage with real-world policy issues. For Bridges, it’s a victory that will undoubtedly shape her future career and continue to fuel her passion for state government affairs.

As of today, Bridges’ vision has become reality, making AB 1824 the latest step forward in California’s efforts to strengthen consumer protections in the digital age.