Metropolitan Water District’s Board of Directors voted today to censure their board colleague John Morris, the city of San Marino’s representative, for his use of a racist term at a board event in late 2023.
The action came after an independent Equal Employment Opportunity investigation found Morris made a disparaging statement toward a staff member on the basis of race or national origin, in violation of Metropolitan’s Administrative Code.
In addition to censuring Morris, Metropolitan’s board voted to cease funding for Morris’ travel on behalf of the district, prohibit him from representing Metropolitan at any events, and require him to receive counseling. In one year, the board’s EEO ad hoc committee will consider whether to allow Morris to again fully participate in Metropolitan’s board activities.
“Metropolitan cannot and will not tolerate racist comments from its leaders. While we are not able to directly remove a director from our board, we have taken the measures we can to demonstrate that we absolutely do not tolerate this type of behavior,” said board Chair Adán Ortega, Jr.
Metropolitan does not have the ability to dismiss any of its directors. Rather, each of its 26 member agencies chooses their board representation through their own processes, independent of Metropolitan.
As part of its action, the board also prohibited Morris from participating in deliberations and votes regarding the EEO investigation of General Manager Adel Hagekhalil. The Morris investigation did not involve General Manager Hagekhalil, Ortega said.
The city of San Marino will be notified of the investigation’s findings and will be sent a letter regarding the board’s censure.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state-established cooperative that, along with its 26 cities and retail suppliers, provides water for 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.
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