Politics & Government

Two City Staffers Promoted To Head Departments

Cynthia Battenberg will become Community Development Director and Debbie Pollart will lead the Public Works Department.


City Manager Chris Zapata announced two appointments Wednesday. Both are promotions from within.

Cynthia Battenberg, a key player in the Kaiser Medical Center project and Lit San Leandro, has been appointed Community Development Director.

Community Development helps attract new businesses and oversees housing, planning, building and safety services.

Find out what's happening in San Leandrowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Debbie Pollart has been selected to lead the Public Works Department after planning and managing San Leandro’s Marina and Shoreline areas. 

Pollart will oversee a budget of $23 million, which includes a Water Pollution Control Plant that processes 5 million gallons of wastewater each day, 50 city facilities, 180 miles of streets, 200 vehicles and/or pieces of equipment, 315 acres of restored marsh habitat, 17 parks and 3 pools. 

Find out what's happening in San Leandrowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Their selections follow the hiring of David Baum to head the Finance Department, LaTanya Bellow in Human Resources, Theresa Mallon as Library Director, and Deborah Acosta as Chief Innovation Officer, a first for San Leandro and for the East Bay.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here