It’s hard to find a regional government agency with a more troubling culture than the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. It’s pretty well documented here over the past decades and here detailed by the LA Times, painting an ugly picture. The Times reports, the Board is ready to hand the reins of what some think is the most prestigious water job in the Nation to someone who is barely qualified.
The Times reports the closed session vote issued a razor-thin victory for Adel Hagekhalil, current General Manager of LA City Streets. Hagekhalil actually got fewer votes than the more qualified Pat Mulroy, who formerly headed the Southern Nevada Water Authority. It’s due to Metropolitan’s weighted voting structure with the powerful Los Angeles delegates teamming up with long-time allies in San Diego to, in effect, broker a hostile takeover of The Met by the slimmest of margins.
Wait, what about Orange County. The OC swings a pretty powerful bat at Metropolitan. But according to the LA Times, Fullerton’s Fred Jung and Santa Ana’s Thai Pham sided with the interests of LA and San Diego.
For now.
Water in Southern California should never be about partisan politics. Mulroy’s candidacy offered the Met someone with decades of experience dealing with drought, supply, and negotiating deals with other states sharing the waters of the Colorado River. By all accounts, he was a solid choice by most of the OC and the Inland Empire delegations.
Hagekhalil’s water experience? He was second in command at the LA Bureau of Sanitation. It hardly puts him in position to lead this massive agency.
What he has is a loyal friend in Fred Jung, who’s vote tipped the scale in Hagekhalil’s favor.
It’s almost as though Jung and Pham ignored several lawsuits and settlements on Hagekhalil’s watch as second in command at the City’s Sanitation Bureau. There’s one case still in court that has 17 counts against the City of Los Angeles, naming Hagekhalil for “systematic anti-Chicano racist promotional practices and policies.” It also alleges retaliation for the plaintiff’s role as a witness in a 2019 case where the City paid more than $12 million in for alleged hostile work environment for gay employees. A 2014 case cost the City $26 million to employees who were dissatisfied with their work conditions.
These issues were brought to the forefront by Orange County representatives urging their colleagues to reconsider before a final vote to ink a contract with Hagekhalil on Tuesday, June 8th. Several requests for Public Records made by Orange County representatives haven’t yet been provided by LA officials (timely PRA deliverables are virtually standard for any California elected body or agency). So let’s wait until those records are provided and reviewed.
The Times reporting on Hagekhalil’s newly uncovered history of litigation and multimillion dollar payouts could and should lead board members to change their minds.
We are calling on Jung and Pham to do just that.
Fred Jung is cool. And you are an idiot. The end.
Fred and Thai made the right decision, and I’m going to call them and thank them. When did YOU suddenly decide you had a clue about water policy? Oh, Brandman must have called you.
1. They did not (look at the background on the “leading candidate”). I’m sure Thai won’t want to hear from you; Donna might think you want her photo or something and get jealous.
2. Haven’t spoke to Brandman since last year; I owe him a call.
3. My firm has done some project work for a company in the fresh water business; the client actually hired one of my employees full time (they have no ties to California or OC). I’m actually working on my own water policy story but it’s not done.
Vern is actually an EXPERT on water policy:
Double Shot of Titos and splash of WATER!
Anybody reach out from council? I remember Jose grandstanding regarding “what friends do”. Must not be much of a friend eh.
Vern is actually an EXPERT on water policy:
Double Shot of Titos and splash of WATER!
Anybody reach out from council? I remember Jose grandstanding regarding “what friends do”. Must not be much of a friend eh.