From the Metropolitan Water District:
The board of directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California today immediately placed General Manager Adel Hagekhalil on paid administrative leave for up to 90 days to investigate various allegations.
Board Chair Adán Ortega, Jr. announced the action after the board met for more than five hours.
The board also named Deven Upadhyay, Metropolitan’s assistant general manager and executive officer, as interim general manager.
“I want to reassure Metropolitan’s staff and the public that our board is determined to act with strong unity and swiftness to protect everybody,” Ortega said. “We’ve made some very difficult decisions, but we maintain our commitment to the policies and direction of this organization as we continue our important work to deliver water reliability to the 19 million people we serve.”
SEE ALSO:
Top manager of California’s largest water supplier accused of sexism and harassment
“The board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California held a closed-door meeting Thursday to discuss accusations by the agency’s chief financial officer that General Manager Adel Hagekhalil has harassed, demeaned and sidelined her and created a hostile work environment. Chief Financial Officer Katano Kasaine made the allegations in a confidential letter to the board, which was leaked and published by Politico. MWD Board Chair Adán Ortega Jr. began the meeting by calling for a vote allowing him to discuss confidential matters discussed during an earlier meeting Tuesday, when the board decided to open an investigation. He criticized the release of the letter. … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via AOL News.
