San Diego City Wire

The City Council has selected new officials for the Port of San Diego.

According to a release, the city welcomed Jennifer LeSar and reappointed Rafael Castellanos as commissioners on Jan. 12. Both were sworn on Jan. 13. 

LeSar and Castellanos will be representing the city on the Board of Port Commissioners. 

“On behalf of the Board of Port Commissioners, I am very pleased to welcome Commissioner LeSar to the Board and to have Commissioner Castellanos continue his work with us as we begin another challenging yet productive year,” Chairman Michael Zucchet, one of the current San Diego representatives, said in the release. “Commissioner LeSar’s impressive background and substantial leadership experience will help move the port forward, and retaining the experience and institutional knowledge of Commissioner Castellanos is also incredibly valuable as we continue to navigate the challenges ahead.” 

LeSar is the founder of the Global Policy Leadership Academy and the founding CEO of the LeSar Development Consultants. She was also a former chair and treasurer for the Civic San Diego Board and has served as a board member under the Monarch School Project, The San Diego Foundation and The San Diego LGBT Community Center. 

For over three decades, LeSar has a solid background in real estate development, investment banking and community development. According to the release, LeSar will bring “community and collaboration experience in conjunction with strong technical skills in real estate development, finance and negotiations, and has prior experience working on large investment transactions on or adjacent to the waterfront.”

Commissioner Castellanos is the chair of the Port’s Environmental Advisory Committee and is the secretary of the Board for 2021. During his tenure, he has guided the port in creating its Blue Economy Incubator, adopting its Climate Action Plan and negotiating for the sea level rise adaption.

The Port of San Diego is represented by a seven-member board -- one member is appointed by Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach and National City, and three members by the city of San Diego.

According to the release, “Commissioner Ann Moore continues to represent Chula Vista, Commissioner Garry Bonelli continues to represent Coronado, Commissioner Dan Malcolm continues to represent Imperial Beach and Commissioner Sandy Naranjo was appointed in late 2020 to represent National City.”