FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 14, 2020
Contact: Kathryn Phillips--916-893-8494 (mobile)
Metropolitan Water District Approves General Manager Hiring Plan that Invites Public Input
LOS ANGELES--The board of the Metropolitan Water District, the wholesaler supplying water to 19 million Southern California residents, today opened a new opportunity for the public to influence the kind of leadership the district will have in the future.
The board voted to adopt a hiring process for its new general manager that will include soliciting “input from the public and stakeholders regarding job description and General Manager preferred qualities.”
The vote came a week after Sierra Club California sent a letter to the board requesting that its proposed hiring process be amended to include community engagement.
“With the gravity of the decisions made by the next GM, the potential lengthy tenure of the individual in that position, and the uncertain, tenuous future of California water supply, it is imperative that the public is involved in the hiring process,” said the letter to MWD signed by Sierra Club California Water Policy Advocate Brandon Dawson, Sierra Club California Southern California Water Organizer Caty Wagner, and Sierra Club Angeles Chapter Water Committee Chair Charming Evelyn. “Engaging with residents is not only the most ethical choice, it also provides buy-in, collaboration, and reflects community values.”
The current MWD general manager, Jeff Kightlinger, has announced that he is retiring in early 2021 after nearly 15 years at the helm of the agency. During Kightlinger’s tenure, MWD has renewed old efforts to develop a conveyance system that would draw water from above the San Francisco Bay-Delta river system and bypass the Delta itself. The Bay-Delta is the largest estuary on the North American West Coast and a critical habitat for salmon and other fish and wildlife. Sierra Club and other environmental groups have opposed the proposed conveyance system.
The July 7 letter urged the MWD board “to prioritize the hiring of a GM that understands the social and economic implications of MWD actions.” In April, amidst a global pandemic, the MWD Board voted to increase water rates over the next two years and devote $50 million for Delta tunnel project planning purposes.
“Moreover,” the letter continued “the construction of the tunnel project is estimated to cost $11-15 billion before inflation and cost overruns. Much of this expense will be borne by MWD ratepayers. Low-income residents, renters, and communities of color will be hit the hardest, but will receive no benefits.”
The letter noted that the next GM “must commit to providing an equitable, reliable, and sustainable alternative to the status quo.”
Statement of Brandon Dawson, Sierra Club California Water Policy Advocate:
“Including public engagement in the hiring process is an important step by the board. It signals that MWD is moving toward greater accountability.
“It also gives us hope that the board is interested in leadership that will more overtly take into account the effects of climate change.
“To be effective, the next GM will need to focus on regional level water solutions and promoting efficiency, conservation, recycling, and stormwater. That will help MWD continue to provide affordable water without investing in high-risk and high-cost tunnel projects many hundreds of miles away.”
Sierra Club California is the legislative and regulatory arm of Sierra Club’s 13 local chapters in California, representing nearly half a million members and supporters.