Racial 'animus' by MWD board members toward Muslim GM alleged in letter
"When are we going to get rid of those refugees?" and similar remarks detailed in letter sent to Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Board Chair
I have learned that on October 18 the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) sent a letter to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) unveiling allegations of racial and religious bias related to the administrative case of Assistant General Manager Katano Kasaine vs. General Manager Adel Hagekhalil.
The letter was addressed to MWD’s Chairman of the Board, Adán Ortega.
MWD’s Board of Directors is overseeing an investigation of a complaint made against GM Hagekhalil by Asst. GM Kasaine for harassment and discrimination. CAIR’s letter alleges that unnamed members of the Board directed racist insults at GM Hagekhalil.
Asst. GM Kasaine's complaint, dated May 27, was reviewed by the Board in a closed session on June 13. The Board voted to place GM Hagekhalil on administrative leave for 90 days, pending an investigation.
After the investigation, his employment status would be determined. However, five months later, the investigation is ongoing, and his leave has been extended indefinitely, with no end in sight
The MWD supplies imported water to 26 member agencies, serving 19 million residents across six Southern California counties, and operates with an annual budget of $2.4 billion.
As the general manager of the largest water supplier in the western United States, Hagekhalil plays a crucial role in water management that extends beyond Southern California. He narrowly secured the position of general manager after two contentious votes by the Board. He began work on July 6, 2021.
GM Hagekhalil succeeded Jeffrey Kightlinger, who left MWD after serving as its General Manager for 15 years. Kightlinger's departure was overshadowed by a State Audit, which outlined years of alleged workplace harassment, discrimination, and retaliation by management, as well as the failure to implement necessary reforms.
Hagekhalil earnestly attempted to implement the State Audit’s recommended reforms. He also began to implement water management reforms that sharply contrasted with Kightlinger’s water management philosophy. Both moves played a role in bitter power struggles between opposing MWD factions that spilled out into the public domain.
The CAIR letter is dated October 18, three days prior to the Board’s latest closed-session decision on October 21 to extend GM Hagekhalil’s administrative leave. The CAIR letter was not mentioned on the Oct. 21 MWD meeting agenda, however.
The letter cites “problematic statements and actions that indicate animus towards him [Hagekhalil] based on his ethnicity, national origin, and religion,” such statements as:
“When are we going to get rid of those refugees?”
“When are we going to hire someone that we can pronounce their last name?”
And referring to Muslims and Arab Americans as “Camel Jockeys.”
These remarks, the letter says, indicate a “strong animus and unlawful discriminatory intent by Board members.” Not only are they “reprehensible, but if this animus motivated the actions against Mr. Hagekhalil these actions would clearly be in violation of California and federal anti-discrimination laws.”
I made numerous attempts by phone and email in past weeks to contact the author of the letter, Amr Shabaik, CAIR’s Legal Director, for more details but he didn’t respond. GM Hagekhalil also did not respond to my requests.
I also contacted Chair Ortega by email earlier yesterday, but he did not respond either. However, by law, he would be required to pass the complaint on through the proper channels.
More on that to come, soon.