C-WIN: Comments on MWD’s Firing of Adele Hagekhalil
General Manager’s Dismissal Should Not Be A Motive for Changing District Policy
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has announced the dismissal of General Manager Adel Hagekhalil, a development that could presage a change in direction for the sprawling water distribution agency. Hagekhalil had been on administrative leave pending the outcome of a misconduct investigation.
Hagekhalil had been seen as a progressive figure in water policy circles, one who had worked to wean MWD from imported Colorado River and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta water by emphasizing conservation, recycling, and development of local water sources. He was seen as an impediment to the Delta Tunnel, the massive Delta conveyance project promoted by the Newsom Administration that would expedite water transfers south at a cost of more than $20 billion.
Environmentalists worry that Hagekhalil’s troubles may indicate a sharp turnaround for his policies at MWD and a return to the district’s heavy reliance on outside water sources and maximum revenues from ratepayers.
“We saw great promise in Hagekhalil when he was first hired,” said Max Gomberg, a water policy expert, board member of the California Water Impact Network and the former Climate and Conservation Manager for the State Water Resources Control Board.
“He tried to tackle MET’s supply issues and fiscal challenges in a direct, innovative, and transparent way, emphasizing the interests of MWD’s 19 million ratepayers over large contractors or politicians in Sacramento,” Gomberg said. “We just hope his dismissal isn’t a stalking horse for MWD’s board to support antiquated, fiscally irresponsible, and environmentally devastating ‘solutions’ like the Delta Tunnel.”
Gomberg observed MWD’s turmoil comes at a particularly fraught time because Newsom’s aggressive push for the Delta Tunnel corresponds with the Trump administration’s view of California’s water issues.
C-WIN’s executive director Carolee Krieger noted "Both Newsom and Trump are pursuing illegal water grabs and we are concerned that Newsom won't push back on Trump's blatant attempt to circumvent the state's authority to restrict pumping out of the Delta. We call on MWD to resist these pressures and to act in the best interest of their ratepayers.”
CONTACT
Max Gomberg
(415) 310-7013
maxgombergca@gmail.com
Carolee Krieger
C-WIN Executive Director
(805) 451-9565
caroleekrieger7@gmail.com