The board of Southern California's Metropolitan Water District is considering the findings of a seven-month investigation into allegations against General Manager Adel Hagegal—which has revealed and exposed competing claims of discrimination among leaders of the state's largest urban water supplier.
The board met twice in closed session this week to consider the findings of five completed investigations, which have not been made public. Board members voted Wednesday to continue Hakegalil's leave of absence until the next meeting.
In Hawkal placed on leave In June, the agency's chief financial officer, Catano Casein, accused him of sexual harassment in response to allegations that he harassed, humiliated, marginalized and created a hostile work environment. Hagegal has denied the allegations, insisting he has done nothing wrong.
During a public portion of Tuesday's MWT meeting, Hagegal told board members he was pleased with the results of the investigation, said he was relieved, and that he was eager and ready to return to his job.
“Although I have not engaged in any misconduct, I have learned from this experience and understand how I can do better, and of course, I will take any feedback to heart,” Hagegal said. “I will handle this situation with grace and humility. I look forward to being involved in the healing process. I will ensure that our workplaces are safe, supportive, inclusive and productive. “
Some of the allegations against Hagegal were aired publicly when Casein complained to the committee It was leaked to the media in June.
Casein wrote in his May 27 letter that he was “harmed, harassed, bullied and sidelined from my core responsibilities.” “The preference for male colleagues/employees has continued to instill sexism and belittlement in me,” she said.
He also criticized Hagekall's hiring of a group of trusted, highly paid advisers, calling it “an entirely shadowy leadership group that wields more power than those who hold official titles.”
Hawkal denied the claims.
Board members spent hours in private discussing the findings of the investigations and how they would proceed. The agenda said it would consider the “discipline/dismissal/release” of an employee.
Board members did not comment on their deliberations as the meeting adjourned.
Later, board member Fred Jung said he hoped the district would resolve the matter before next week's meeting.
“I think there's going to be some heavy negotiating,” Jung told the Times in an interview. “Otherwise there is some risk to generous lawsuits.”
“I think it's long overdue, in the best interests of the agency, its employees, our public, and now there's a window to bring some sort of curve to all of this,” Jung said. He declined to discuss specifics or comment on what form that resolution might take.
Discrimination concerns
The Metropolitan Water District provides water to cities and agencies serving 19 million people throughout Southern California. As a top manager of the district, he has played a key role in the efforts at Hakal Change the agency and change the composition of its water supplies To help Southern California adapt to severe droughts exacerbated by climate change.
Hagegalil's attorney, Kerry Garvis Wright, told the board Tuesday that the general manager has been treated unfairly and subjected to false claims since being placed on administrative leave. He said he had “suffered enormous and irreparable harm to his reputation as a result of the district's actions.”
Garvis warned the Wright board that “any adverse action by the board against Mr. Hakegalil will not withstand legal scrutiny,” adding that there is “powerful evidence of racial and ethnic discrimination, certainly illegal.”
Hagekal was the district's first Arab American General Manager. His lawyer and supporters have said they are concerned that anti-Arab sentiment among some board members could affect the handling of the investigation.
While on leave at Hagegall, one crew member was John Morris Audited by MWD Board He called her a “camel jockey” for making a racist comment about another county employee. Officials at the agency said the case did not directly implicate Hawkal. But as part of the censure, the board barred Morris from participating in hearings and votes related to the Hagegall hearings.
Some civil rights advocates have raised concerns about possible discrimination in the investigation.
Amr Shabaiq, regional legal director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, urged the board to reinstate Hagekhalil, adding, “We want to ask again that this discrimination and harassment be addressed.”
Any decision reached by the Board may be challenged in court. MWD meeting agenda The board privately discussed two additional claims involving the district's “significant exposure” to potential litigation.
One of those claims was Oct. 18 Letter to the board of Dan Collins, attorney representing Casein. He described Casein as a “vindictive whistleblower” and said the leak of his letter would send a message to those who dared to challenge “an unethical and illegal pattern of conduct” at the highest levels of MWD.
The letter issued by MWD has been partially modified. It includes a copy of the discrimination complaint Casein filed with the state in October. In it, Casein described herself as a black woman of African descent and alleged that she had been “subjected to a pattern of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation based on her race, gender, and national origin.”
Casein did not respond to The Times' requests for comment on the matter.
Some say the inquiry exposed a 'toxic culture'
Devan Upadhyay has served as the interim general manager since being placed on leave at Hagekal. As the investigation continued, the Board He voted twice to extend Hakegalil's leave of absenceMost recently in October.
Hagegall previously worked in the City of Los Angeles leading projects focusing on sewers and streets. He was appointed General Manager of MWD in 2021 Power struggle Among team members.
The district is headed by a 38-member Board of Directors. Each board member is appointed by one of MWD's 26 member organizations, which include cities and water suppliers.
More than three years on the job, he said, he focused on reforming the agency.
“As an outsider, I brought new leadership, new ideas and some new people to the staff. However, change is never easy. Unfortunately. “This is a difficult time for me, my family, and others at this agency. It's time to turn the page and move on. “
Hakegalil's sidelining comes at a time when MWD's leaders are engaged in major efforts to prepare and develop a climate adaptation plan. Large water recycling facility. MWD Board also He voted last month Spend about $141 million to plan the state's proposed water tunnel in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
MWD officials were present at this month's devastating wildfires in Southern California Working with Los Angeles and other local agencies To direct water supplies where needed.
Before board members began debating the matter in closed session Tuesday, they heard from about 40 people who spoke in support of Hakegalil and several who spoke against him.
Former LA City Councilman Paul Goretz hailed Hagekalil as “close to perfection” as a manager, and he believes the reason the board took months to complete investigations is that the controversy over his tenure is closely tied to divisions over water policy at the agency.
“If it was a clear case, if the allegations were clearly genuine, you would have made this decision within seven months,” Goretz said.
“Clearly, it's a very divided board,” Goretz said. “People who want the body to be very reform-minded and stable will vote to keep Adele. I'm sure those who don't will vote to remove her, and that must be incredibly embarrassing for this body.”
Barbara Barrigan-Barrilla, who leads the nonprofit group Restoring the Delta, which advocates for the plantation's preservation, called Hagekaleel “the best leader for Southern California right now, making climate resilience your priority.”
“Politics and power agendas need to be put aside,” Barrigan-Barrilla said. “He's the change and the leader you need to follow.”
Rickita Hudson, the board's executive secretary, was among those who criticized Hakegalil during the meeting. He said he endured a “hostile work environment” and the general manager's “hostile style”. She did not provide details.
“How many more claims must be made public for this community to say, he is not the head of the borough?” Hudson said. “He might have been a great leader in L.A., but not the metropolitan area.”
Others said they support Hakegalil and have broader concerns about the water district's internal culture.
Katie Wagner, the Sierra Club's water campaign manager, said a board member recently became very concerned about being comfortable voicing a racist comment out loud.
“The public's ability to trust the board has gone down,” Wagner said. “[MWD] A serious reset and some deep reflections are needed. “
Board member Mark Gould said Hagekal is a “good and decent person” who has done exemplary work and made significant achievements while advancing water initiatives—and the issues revealed by this investigative process are deep-seated in nature and need to be addressed beyond Hagekal.
“The toxic culture that Adele inherited is not dangerous,” Gould told board members Tuesday. “We have a long history of sexism and racism that continues to this day. I've never seen a culture where so few, accusations and conflicts are filed.”
He suggested a series of “remedial measures” for the MWD, such as assessing the organizational structure to adopt changes that could “reduce conflict risks”.
MWD should also develop a staff culture development plan and change the current procedures for resolving disputes.
“It's more than just an individual,” Gould said. “What has been exposed over the last seven months is that we have a corporate culture that is very complex, and we owe it to our customers and everyone else to try to fix it.”
