“In interviews with 20 current and former staffers and reviews of hundreds of pages of district records, court documents and audio recordings, The Times found a pattern of complaints alleging harassment and bullying of women who enrolled in the apprentice program, which trains workers who operate and repair the water pumping stations and treatment plants of the Colorado River Aqueduct and other district facilities,” wrote ADAM ELMAHREK. Times reporter. “It is a crucial pathway into higher-paying, skilled jobs.”
“Only nine of the 218 apprentices hired between 2003 and 2019 were women, according to agency records. Four of them have filed equal employment opportunity complaints with the district, a spokeswoman said.” wrote Elmahrek.
“I endured men who were mad I was there, men who wanted me sexually, men who straight up would not even make eye contact with me ’cause they thought I was so low,” Gina Chavez, 36, a water pump plant mechanic, told the district’s board of directors at a meeting, according to the Times.
The Times reported it requested interviews with MWD General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger and the district’s head of human resources, Diane Pitman. “The district declined to make them available, instead answering questions by email and without attribution,” wrote Elmahrek.
In a statement, Barrigan-Parrilla responded:
“Restore the Delta stands in solidarity with the women at MWD. Women in the Delta face at times, similar inequity and harassment. We find ourselves up against institutions that silence women and frankly, most public input across the board, including on policy and spending decisions.
In the article, Ellen Mackey describes being treated like ‘colonial possessions.’ We concur. This is how Delta residents describe their relationship with MWD, now a major landowner in our region.
Oppressive workplaces are often a reflection of institutional culture. As Delta anglers say, ‘The fish rots from the head.’ But sadly, this culture is also holding back the modernization of our public institutions, like the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.”
According to MWD’s Administrative Code: “Board members, officers, and employees shall not, in the performance of their official functions, discriminate against any person on the basis of race, religion, color, creed, age, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sex (gender or pregnancy), sexual orientation, medical condition, genetic information, disability (physical or mental), protected veteran status, or other characteristic protected by law and they shall cooperate in achieving the equal opportunity and affirmative action goals and objectives of Metropolitan.”
Unfortunately, the LA Times article reveals that the powerful water district has repeatedly violated its own code repeatedly when it comes to the harassment, bullying and ignoring of women.
Metropolitan is a regional wholesaler and the largest supplier of treated water in the United States. The tunnel plan the district is funding would hasten the extinction of Delta and longfin smelt, Sacramento River spring and winter-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead and other fish species, as well as imperiling the salmon runs on the Trinity and Klamath rivers that have been an integral part of the culture of the Yurok, Hoopa Valley and Karuk Tribes for thousands of years.
On December 8, the Metropolitan’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to fund its share, $58 million, of the environmental planning and pre-construction costs for the Delta Tunnel, AKA the Delta Conveyance Project, despite overwhelming opposition by Southern California ratepayers and conservationists, environmental justice and Tribal advocates from around the state.
Out of the 80 people who spoke at the meeting, the majority, 60, spoke against the tunnel. Only 20 people, including representatives of water districts, spoke on behalf of the the project.
There were four options before the board: 1) pay for MWD’s portion & Kern County’s portion at $75 million; 2) pay for MWD’s portion at $59 million; 3) wait until the Integrated Resources Plan (IRP) is finished in April to vote, or option 4) stop the tunnel by not financing it.
The board chose option 2, while opponents urged the board to vote for option 4 or to delay the decision.
Sierra Club California, who organized hundreds of people to send letters to the board and whose representatives spoke against the funding, said the $59 million expenditure adds to the $50 million the board voted to spend on tunnel planning in April — all coming in the middle of a pandemic surge.
Background: MWD’s “Nondiscrimination” and “Harassment” Code:
§ 7111. Nondiscrimination and Harassment: Provisions updated to reflect the actions of the Board of Directors through its 8/18/2020 meeting.
Board members, officers, and employees shall not, in the performance of their official functions, discriminate against any person on the basis of race, religion, color, creed, age, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sex (gender or pregnancy), sexual orientation, medical condition, genetic information, disability (physical or mental), protected veteran status, or other characteristic protected by law and they shall cooperate in achieving the equal opportunity and affirmative action goals and objectives of Metropolitan. Metropolitan Board members, officers, employees, and guests have the right to participate in official Metropolitan functions in an environment free from all forms of discrimination and conduct which can be considered harassing, coercive, or disruptive. Harassment based on any characteristic protected by law will not be sanctioned nor tolerated. Reports of harassment are taken seriously, and appropriate action will be taken against individuals found to have engaged in harassing conduct. The prohibition against discrimination and harassment applies to all transactions of Metropolitan’s business, whether at a Metropolitan-operated facility or an external site. Allegations regarding officer or employee conduct in violation of this section shall be reported to Metropolitan’s Equal Employment Opportunity Investigations Staff. Allegations regarding director conduct in violation of this section shall be reported to the Ethics Officer or Board Chair.