Statement from Metropolitan Water District issued Saturday afternoon
Metropolitan Water District board chair Adán Ortega, Jr. issues the following statement on the board’s decision to place General Manager Adel Hagekhalil on administrative leave:
“The board’s decision to place General Manager Hagekhalil on paid administrative leave was made to allow time to investigate various personnel matters. To be clear, the matters under investigation are not exclusively based on the issues raised by one individual.
“A false narrative has emerged, and been reported in media coverage and online, suggesting the decision to place Mr. Hagekhalil on leave is based on an attempt to reverse, change course or subvert Metropolitan’s policy work to ensure a reliable water supply for Southern California. This narrative is not only untrue, it’s unhelpful and undermines the due process protections of all involved, including Mr. Hagekhalil. It is an overt external attempt to leverage personnel matters to influence district policy. The district’s goal during this interim period is to continue making progress on our Climate Adaptation Master Plan for Water and all our work to sustainably bring water to the communities we serve.
“This is a personnel issue involving multiple matters, and the investigation into these matters is confidential. It is essential to protect the rights of all parties. Conspiracy theories and speculation about allegations are harmful to the investigative process and any individuals involved.”
Latest media coverage as of Saturday afternoon
See tomorrow’s weekend digest for the latest developments …
LA’s top water chief on leave after harassment claims — and environmentalists see a conspiracy
“When the board of the Metropolitan Water District placed its general manager on administrative leave Thursday amid claims of harassment and a hostile work culture, some environmentalists saw a campaign to topple a conservationist at the helm of one of California’s largest water agencies. “You start to see the biggest reformer that we’ve had at Met in a long, long time, if not ever, getting axed,” Bruce Reznik, the executive director of LA Waterkeeper, an environmental group, said in an interview Friday. “I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I’d be crazy if I didn’t say it raised serious concerns.” Katano Kasaine, Met’s CFO, said in the 13-page letter to board Chair Adán Ortega that she didn’t take her accusations against Met’s general manager, Adel Hagekhalil, lightly. … ” Read more from Politico.
SEE ALSO:
- Inside the meltdown at Met, from Politico
- Water District Board Puts General Manager on Administrative Leave Over ‘Various Allegations’, from the Daily Kos