Oakland, California’s New CIO to Tackle Digital Divide

Oakland (CA)’s new chief information officer Tony Batalla said he would work to reduce internet access gaps in the city and support digital literacy efforts. Oakland is home to a major port, adjacent to the University of California, Berkeley, and near Silicon Valley, but along with those economic advantages are some neighborhoods in the city beset by crime and poverty. Batalla, who started May 2, sees internet access and technology helping address the needs of those communities. “In the most underserved areas of Oakland, there’s still a lot of opportunity to connect homes, to bring internet directly to residents,” he said. The chief technology officer in the neighboring San Francisco Bay Area city of San Leandro (CA) from 2014 to early 2022, Batalla comes to the role with experience overseeing internet infrastructure projects. In San Leandro, he was responsible for managing the rollout of the city’s fiber-optic network, which supported citywide free Wi-Fi and high-speed business and residential internet services. Batalla said he expects to work with a network of municipal organizations, nonprofits and private-sector partners to help expand digital access. His priorities also include connecting underserved communities with training and hardware, building on prior experience. In San Leandro, Batalla helped lead a partnership with the nonprofit Tech Exchange to donate refurbished computers to residents in need.