Southern California Water Wholesaler’s General Manager Placed on Leave

LOS ANGELES—The general manger of the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California, which manages water deliveries to agencies across the region, was on paid administrative leave Friday, June 14, amid allegations of harassment and creating a hostile work environment. Adel Hagekhalil has denied any wrongdoing, insisting everyone in the office is treated fairly and respectfully. He was out of the country and not in attendance at Thursday’s meeting of the MWD Board of Directors, which discussed the matter in closed session before announcing the decision to place Mr. Hagekhalil on paid leave. “I want to reassure Metropolitan’s staff and the public that our board is determined to act with strong unity and swiftness to protect everybody,” MWD board Chairman Adán Ortega Jr. said in a statement after the decision was announced. “We’ve made some very difficult decisions, but we maintain our commitment to the policies and direction of this organization as we continue our important work to deliver water reliability to the 19 million people we serve.”...