Over the past three years, since Adel Hagekhalil took the helm of California’s largest urban water supplier, the general manager has tried to focus on adapting to climate change — partly by reducing dependence on water supplies from distant sources and investing in local water supplies.
His efforts to help Change preferences The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which has traditionally focused primarily on delivering imported water to the region, has gained praise among environmental advocates who hope to reduce dependence on supplies from the Colorado River and Northern California.
However, Hagekhalil is now under investigation on allegations of harassment and placed on leave Following his resignation by the MWD board, some of his supporters say they worry his sidelining could hamper policies he helped advance.
“I hope this doesn’t mean we undo the progress that’s been made since Adele came along,” said Conner Everts, executive director of the Southern California Watershed Alliance, which has supported HageKhalil’s policies.
The allegations against Hagekhalil surfaced on Thursday while he was on a visit to Singapore for a water conference.
Chief Financial Officer Katano Kassine made the allegations in a confidential letter to the board that was leaked to the media. She said Hagekhalil harassed, humiliated and sidelined her and created a hostile work environment.
Hagekhalil denied the allegations, saying that he had always treated employees with respect and professionally, and that the claims amounted to “disagreements over management decisions”.
The MWD board voted to place Hagekhalil on administrative leave for 90 days while Kassin’s complaint and other allegations are investigated. In his place, the board temporarily appointed Assistant General Manager Deven Upadhyaya, who has been with the agency for 29 years, as interim general manager.
Everts has been advocating for more than three decades to reduce Southern California’s reliance on imported water supplies by increasing local supplies. He said he was pleased to see HageKhalil and MWD moving forward with plans for the county’s water supply. Largest wastewater recycling facility in Carson, and are working to develop a Plans to adapt to climate change,
Everts said he hopes that whatever the results of the investigation, the agency will not focus on the old line on imported water, which he believes some of MWD’s “old time” leaders still support.
Everts, like several others who spoke at Thursday’s board meeting, said the allegations need to be investigated fairly and impartially.
“Hopefully Adele will come back and continue moving forward in this direction. And if that doesn’t happen, whoever comes in will do that,” Everts said. “Will the process of change in the culture of the agency continue moving forward? That’s my question.”
MWD is the nation’s largest wholesale supplier of drinking water, serving cities and agencies that supply drinking water to 19 million people in Southern California.
MWD Board Chairman Adan Ortega Jr. said that although the board had made “difficult decisions” regarding the allegations against Hagekhalil, “we maintain our commitment to the policies and direction of this organization.”
Ortega said he doesn’t expect any changes to the district’s “current policy.”
“Our job is to tackle climate change,” Ortega said in an interview with the Times. “Anyone who challenges that would be up against a very embedded policy framework for tackling climate change.”
Ortega was involved in the selection of Hagekhalil, who previously Worked for the City of Los Angeles and who was hired after a bitter struggle Ortega said his priorities as board president are the same priorities that Haghkhalil is pursuing.
As for the allegations against Hagekhalil, Ortega said he was upset that someone leaked the confidential letter.
“I believe whoever leaked it was trying to corner the board. But we weren’t going to let them, and I don’t think it worked,” Ortega said.
He said the initiatives Hagekhalil was working on would continue under Upadhyaya as long as the cases were under investigation.
“The board drives the agenda,” he said. “I think the board is unanimous on the things that Adele and I both share.”
Hagekhalil has led the agency during a time of major initiatives, including negotiations aimed at: Addressing water shortages on the Colorado RiverPlans to build a water recycling plant in Carson, and MWD board’s consideration of Governor Gavin Newsom’s plan Construction of a water tunnel at a cost of $20 billion In the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta.
Some of Hagekhalil’s supporters questioned why the matter was brought before the board while he was on a trip, and suggested the purpose of making the complaints public appeared to be to sideline a leading advocate for changing the district’s focus.
But Ortega said speculation that sending Hagekhalil on leave could derail MWD’s current policy agenda was unfounded.
“The board is fully organized in support of that agenda,” Ortega said. “So I don’t feel any nervousness or doubt about our continued policy direction.”
“It is a mistake to think that the fate of our policy agenda depends on one person,” he said. “Nothing is changing in terms of the composition of the board or the items we are considering in future months, or the composition of the committees. All of that remains intact. And so nothing changes.”
Still, some environmental advocates have said they are concerned about a possible connection between the emergence of allegations against Hagekhalil and efforts by some within the agency to push forward the proposed legislation. Delta Conveyance ProjectA 45-mile tunnel that would create a second route to draw water from the Sacramento River into the State Water Project’s aqueducts. He noted that Cassine currently serves as treasurer of the Delta Conveyance Design and Construction Authority, the entity created to fund the tunnel project.
“I think this was a well-planned ambush to get the tunnel approved despite the objections of other members of the metropolitan board,” said Patricia Schifferle, director of environmental consulting firm Pacific Advocates.
During an MWD committee meeting Monday, supporters and opponents of the proposed tunnel debated the project’s costs and benefits.
Karla Nemeth, director of the state Department of Water Resources, told board members the project is necessary to improve water supply reliability in the face of climate change, sea-level rise and major earthquakes.
Other supporters made similar arguments, while opponents argued that construction of the tunnel would harm the delta’s deteriorating ecosystem and would be more costly than other water supply options.
The costs would be paid by urban and agricultural water districts that decide to participate. The state recently released a report. cost benefit analysis Its purpose is to provide information for local water agencies to consider.
MWD would receive a large share of the water, and the board’s final decision on whether it will participate will be crucial in determining whether the state’s plan will move forward.
The MWD board agreed to contribute $160.8 million for planning and pre-construction costs in 2020. District officials say the board could consider providing additional funding for planning and pre-construction costs later this year, and a decision on long-term financial participation could be several years away.
When the state’s cost-benefit analysis was released last month, Hagekhalil said: “The question is how can this project be executed, what kind of resiliency does it provide for the future of the Delta and our water supply, and at what cost?”
Leaders of several environmental groups said they were disappointed that Hagekhalil was placed on administrative leave before the allegations against him had been investigated.
“It is very important and appropriate for MWD to take these allegations seriously, and we applaud the agency’s decision to investigate the claims made so the board can have an accurate understanding of what is occurring among the organization’s senior leadership,” said Bruce Reznick, executive director of the L.A. Waterkeeper group. “However, the public needs more information to ensure the full independence of this review.”
He said any action against Hagekhalil should be taken after an independent investigation.
Resnick called Hagekhalil a “visionary, inclusive and transparent leader” who is helping the agency improve its approach to adapting to the impacts of climate change.
“He has been vocal about his vision and plans to transform the agency,” Resnick said. “That same focus should continue at MWD.”
