The CEO of a California water big has acquired a half 1,000,000 payout simply days earlier than the findings of a sexual harassment case towards him.
Boss of Valley Water Rick Callender will get $512,886 after the board agreed he can serve for one yr as a particular advisor.
The vote got here simply days earlier than he introduced his resignation, which went into impact on March 1, 2026.
District 7 Director Rebecca Eisenberg, who was the only vote towards the settlement, instructed SFGate the company’s choice to retain him violated the district’s personal employment contract provisions.
“His contract clearly states that if he’s discovered to have engaged in immoral or unethical conduct, he could be terminated for trigger,” Eisenberg instructed the outlet. “For trigger is just in excessive conditions. That is an excessive state of affairs.”
An investigation from the legislation agency Atkinson Andelson Loya Ruud & Romo and launched on Feb. 20 revealed Callender violated the company’s Anti-Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation Coverage.
The findings included textual content messages, images and journal entries from three district workers in 2024, alleging Callender despatched inappropriate textual content messages, made feedback concerning the look of different coworkers and talked about his personal sexual and romantic actions.
“Showered but? Simply taking part in,” Callender allegedly messaged a complainant following an workplace occasion, in line with the investigation.
The longtime CEO allegedly instructed one other worker that the gown “match properly,” and requested if that they had ever “been with” an African-American man. He additionally despatched a “photograph of his clothed lap, centered on the crotch space,” in line with the investigation.
Findings from the studies additionally claimed Callender directed workers to make use of District time to plan non-District occasions, with one worker alleging “30% to 40%” of their time was “for NAACP-related duties, not District associated duties.”
The previous water govt is in the course of two lawsuits filed in March and June stemming from his tenure with the civil rights group, in line with SFGate, when he was accused of making a “hostile work atmosphere” and demonstrating a sample of discriminatory conduct towards black feminine govt committee members, officers and workers.
NAACP advocates for sweeping legal justice and police reform, together with shifting funds away from cops in the direction of group initiatives.
Callender joined Valley Water — the first water company serving Santa Clara County’s 2 million residents — in 1995.
He turned the company’s first African-American CEO in 2020 because of a 4-3 vote, the place all of the male board members voted in favor, with the feminine board members dissenting, in line with the San Jose Highlight.
A lawyer representing Callender denied the allegations — citing his greater than 30-year tenure working with Santa Clara County by way of the Santa Clara Valley Water District with integrity and transparency.
“The accusations superior towards Mr. Callender are devoid of factual or authorized benefit,” Lori Costanzo, an legal professional for Callender mentioned in a press release.
“Actually, the investigators base their findings on ‘opinion.’ They mischaracterize his work, impugn his integrity with out foundation, and seem calculated to break his popularity and undermine public confidence in Valley Water’s management.”
Callendae confronted comparable allegations again in 2008, when a feminine worker sued the water company and Callender for sexual harassment, the San Jose Highlight reported.
