The director of Southern California’s Metropolitan Water District has been accused of making racist comments about an Arab-American employee.
The MWD Board of Directors is questioning Councilman John Morris, who represents the City of San Marino, after an investigation found that he used a racist term when referring to staff at a board event last year. passed a resolution to take responsibility. The district said the investigation was conducted in response to an anonymous complaint and determined that Morris’ comments violated MWD’s anti-discrimination policy.
Mohsen Mortada, the district’s chief of staff, said in a recent letter that during a December 2023 visit to Gene Camp, a desert facility, Mortada said the MWD chief referred to him as a “camel jockey.” He said he heard the call. He did not name the director he vilified, but officials confirmed the incident he described was the same one that led to the public rebuke of Morris.
Mortada, an American citizen who immigrated from Syria in 1987, said in the letter that he did not file formal charges but was later interviewed by investigators.
As part of the action, the 38-member board voted to end funding for Mr. Morris’ travel expenses, prohibit him from representing the agency at events and require him to undergo counseling.
“Metropolitan cannot and will not tolerate racist comments from our leaders,” said MWD Board Chair Adan Ortega Jr. “While we cannot directly remove directors from our board, we have taken all possible steps to demonstrate that we do not tolerate this type of behavior.”
Metropolitan Water District Director John Morris listens to the discussion during the meeting where the board voted to censure him.
(Kevin Mapp/Southern California Metropolitan Water District)
The agency said it has notified the city of San Marino of the decision.
In an email to the Times, the San Marino City Administration said it “strongly condemns the use of racially motivated speech and bias against individuals anytime, anywhere.”
“The San Marino City Council will consider and take appropriate action as soon as possible,” the email said.
Morris, who has served on the board since 1990, according to his biography on MWD’s website, answered questions from other board members succinctly and indicated he did not dispute the findings. He declined a request for comment from the Times.
The accusations come as MWD investigates harassment allegations against Adel Hagekhalil, the water district’s first Arab-American general manager.
Mr. Hagehalil has denied any wrongdoing, and his lawyers said they were concerned that anti-Arab sentiments among some board members could influence how the investigation is handled.
Hagehalil was not involved in the investigation into Morris’ comments, Ortega said. However, as part of the disciplinary action, the board barred Morris from participating in any deliberations or votes regarding the Hage-Khalil investigation.
Mr. Hagekhalil’s lawyer, Kelly Garvis Wright, argued at Tuesday’s meeting that anti-Arab sentiment is a bigger problem for the board.
Garvis-Wright said: “While Mr. Khalil has always had a positive relationship with the entire board, some of the directors responsible for deciding his fate have made overtly anti-Arab and Islamophobic statements. I recently learned what he was doing.”
“That there is such anti-Arab, Islamophobic sentiment on the part of these directors is, of course, deeply disturbing and frankly disgusting in itself. “It is shocking and wrong to learn that these same board members are empowered to decide whether Mr. Hagekaril continues to serve the district,” she said. “The board must take immediate corrective action.”
Metropolitan Water District Board Chairman Adan Ortega Jr. speaks during the Dec. 10 meeting.
(Kevin Mapp/Southern California Metropolitan Water District)
Garvis-Wright did not mention the names of the board members.
“I am writing to inform you of the outrageous racist statements made by Metropolitan Board Members that introduce bias and discrimination into the Board and its investigative process,” Mortada said in a recent letter.
The version released by MWD to the Times had some parts of Mortada’s letter redacted. Spokesperson Rebecca Kimmich said the district determined that some of the letters are not subject to disclosure because they contain allegations that are unsubstantiated, are currently being investigated, or are being considered for potential investigation. said.
Civil rights activists have also raised concerns about potential discrimination. The Council on American-Islamic Relations notified the school district earlier this year that Hagekhalil had been “subjected to discriminatory and racist behavior and behavior” from some board members.
Amr Shabaik, the council’s Los Angeles legal director, told the MWD board in an October letter that board members allegedly used “derogatory language toward immigrants, Muslims, and Arabs.” .
“Such alleged statements include: ‘When are we going to kick out the refugees?’ ‘When are we going to hire people who can pronounce their last names?'” Shabayk said. I wrote it. “These statements demonstrate strong hostility and unlawful discriminatory intent by board members.”
Shabayk said the decision to censure Morris was “a step in the right direction.” But he also said it “does not necessarily indicate that all issues and all concerns have been resolved.”
During Tuesday’s meeting, board members agreed that Morris’ statements were unacceptable.
“That’s not okay,” said Gail Goldberg, vice chair of the board. “We have to think about the integrity of our organization and our values.”
The water district does not have the authority to dismiss directors. Each director is appointed by one of MWD’s 26 member agencies, including cities and water suppliers.
Mr. Morris spoke briefly several times during the hour-long discussion but did not apologize. Some board members said they didn’t like this.
Mr. Ortega said he had doubts about the sanction clause against Mr. Morris, which allows the committee to consider after a year whether Mr. Morris can fully participate in the board’s activities again.
“Why rehabilitate someone if you’re not responsible for anything?” Ortega asked his fellow board members.
“I did not mean to say I would not accept responsibility. That was not my intention,” Morris said.
The vote was almost unanimous. Board member Ardi Kassassian abstained, saying he was troubled by Morris’ lack of remorse and that he felt the discussion among board members was mostly about the gravity of the issue. did. He said it was deplorable that people of Middle Eastern descent “continue to be targeted and bullied”.
“I don’t know if Mr. Morris said it as the punch line to a joke or in a moment of passing, but the phrase itself applies to other minority groups and groups of color,” he said. Even the most benign approach will not be tolerated,” said Kassassian, the Glendale representative.
After the vote, Kassassian said he felt “stronger action is essential to demonstrate that as the Metropolitan’s leadership we clearly embody these principles of fairness and justice.”
“We need to address cases like this directly, openly and decisively,” Kassassian said. “MWD has done a lot of work to address these types of issues, but this incident shows how weak those efforts are and how much we can do. I think so.”
Ortega said he shares the concerns raised by Kassassian. He used his authority as board chairman to remove Mr. Morris as vice chair of a subcommittee working on plans for a large-scale water recycling facility, leaving Mr. Morris with the minimum number of committee members required by agency rules. He said that he would appoint only the following.
“Mr. Morris never verbally apologized and was given multiple chances,” Ortega said. “We need to recognize that there were people who were maligned here and we owe them an apology.”
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