SACRAMENTO, California — The board of California’s biggest water agency voted Thursday to place its general manager, Adel Hagekhalil, on administrative leave after a senior employee accused him of cultivating a toxic work environment.
The 38-member board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies some 19 million Californians in Los Angeles and surrounding areas, also voted to promote chief operating officer Deven Upadhyay to lead the organization on an interim basis.
The decision came after Metropolitan’s chief financial officer and assistant general manager, Katano Kasaine, accused Hagekhalil of harassing her, retaliating against her for sharing her concerns about the budget process and creating a hostile work environment, in a letter obtained by POLITICO.
Board Chair Adán Ortega, in an interview with POLITICO, said there were “multiple factors“ that went into the decision to place Hagekhalil on leave, including other ongoing investigations into claims against him. “I can’t tell you what all those investigations are about,“ he said. “They all relate to the general circumstances that exist right now because of an investigation process that was prescribed by law.“
