Council confirms Bezak as chief operating officer, unanimously
The City Council unanimously confirmed Bethany Bezak as San Diego's Chief Operating Officer on Monday, four days after Mayor Todd Gloria announced her appointment. Bezak, who holds degrees in civil engineering and architecture and has run the Transportation Department and the Stormwater Department, now takes over day to day City operations from the Mayor, who had held the job himself since February 2025.
SAN DIEGO: The City Council unanimously confirmed Bethany Bezak as the City's Chief Operating Officer on Monday, completing an appointment Mayor Todd Gloria announced on Thursday and ending the stretch in which the Mayor ran day to day City operations himself.
"I selected Bethany to be the City's new Chief Operating Officer because she is a proven leader who understands this organization, respects the employees who keep our city running and has the experience and judgment to turn priorities into results," Gloria said in a statement after the vote. "I'm grateful for the City Council's unanimous vote of confidence in her leadership as well, and the thoughtful consideration they gave this appointment."
From performance chief to operating chief
Bezak moves up from Chief Performance and Logistics Officer, the job she has held since December 2025, where she oversaw Transportation, General Services, Purchasing and Contracting, and Performance and Data Analytics. The City said that brief ran from streets and sidewalks to City buildings and the vehicle fleet, and took in contracting, purchasing and the Get It Done program. As Chief Operating Officer she oversees day to day City operations and reports directly to the Mayor.
Before the performance job, Bezak spent two years running Transportation, a department of roughly 550 people, from 2023 to 2025. Stormwater came before that: she joined its leadership in 2020 as an Assistant Deputy Director and rose through Deputy Director to Director by 2023, running citywide infrastructure, resilience and service delivery programs along the way, the City said. Her training matches the work: bachelor's degrees from Lawrence Technological University in civil engineering and in architecture, and a master's from Virginia Tech in biological systems engineering.
"Every day, thousands of City employees show up before sunrise and dedicate themselves to serving our residents," Bezak said when the appointment was announced. "As Chief Operating Officer, my commitment is to support them, remove barriers to success, and ensure we deliver the high-quality services our communities deserve."
The handoff, and the work list
Gloria assumed direct oversight of City operations in February 2025, facing what the City described as significant financial and operational challenges and a substantial structural deficit for the second consecutive year. The City said he restructured the organization, appointed new executive leadership and implemented difficult but necessary budget reductions, and credits those steps with nearly wiping out the historic structural deficit and leaving the City's finances stronger.
Council President Joe LaCava backed the appointment before the vote and said he would docket the confirmation for Monday's meeting. "Bethany is an expert in her field, a professional manager, and a consummate public servant," LaCava said. The Mayor requested the council's consideration under Article XV, Section 265(7) of the San Diego City Charter.
In his statement after the confirmation, Gloria set out the work he expects the new chief to share: building more homes, keeping neighborhoods safe, repairing infrastructure, maintaining fiscal discipline, and making city government more responsive to the people it serves.
None to date. The Tribune corrects errors promptly and transparently. Read our corrections policy.
