Lawsuit: Silicon Valley water CEO pushed funding his private group

A new lawsuit alleges Valley Water CEO Rick Callender pushed to have his agency sponsor the NAACP California-Hawaii State Conference — a private group he personally oversees — with public dollars.

The conflict of interest claim comes from a civil complaint filed March 20 by Salena Pryor, an NAACP colleague who worked under Callender in his capacity as the statewide NAACP chapter president. She accuses Callender of demeaning and undermining her on numerous occasions while she helped coordinate NAACP events, from distressing late-night video calls to public embarrassment. It comes as Callender is on administrative leave from Valley Water — which cares for Santa Clara County’s streams, flood protection and wholesale water supply — while the agency investigates an employee’s misconduct complaint against him.

The lawsuit filed in Sacramento County alleges Callender instructed Pryor in May 2023 to request a $5,000 sponsorship from Valley Water to the NAACP for the purpose of an “environmental justice roundtable and reception.”

“President Callender emphasized the need to keep his involvement discreet,” Pryor’s lawsuit states, adding Callender later denied instructing Pryor to request the funds and sent her a hostile email “gaslighting” her about it. “President Callender even accused Pryor of trying to create an audit trail at his job.”

When reached for comment Callender referred this news organization to the national NAACP for a response. The national NAACP did not respond to requests for comment. Sean Allen, president of the NAACP San Jose/Silicon Valley chapter, was not immediately available for comment.

“Valley Water acknowledges the filing; however, as we are not a party to the lawsuit, we will not be providing further comment on the litigation,” agency spokesperson Matt Keller told San José Spotlight. “Regarding allegations involving CEO Callender related to his role at Valley Water, these are personnel matters, and per our policy, we cannot comment.”

Pryor’s NAACP lawsuit claims Callender fostered a hostile work environment at the civil rights organization where workers were pitted against each other. Her lawsuit also alleges Callender shared a hotel room with the organization’s female events chair and falsely accused Pryor of inquiring about it.

“President Callender claimed that it was customary for the President and Events Chair to share a room, but Pryor never broached that subject,” the lawsuit reads. “President Callender scolded Pryor for thirty minutes on a Friday evening after hours regarding the room-sharing issue on a Facebook Messenger call.”

Neither Pryor nor her attorney responded to requests for comment. A Sacramento County judge set a case management conference for the lawsuit in May 2026.

Pryor’s complaint also puts Callender at the center of drama between different branches of the historic civil rights group in California — and dueling charges of financial impropriety. One dispute involved Callender’s alleged exclusion of the Sacramento NAACP from a national reception in San Francisco in May 2023. Pryor alleges it stemmed from a personal issue Callender held against the Sacramento chapter’s former longest serving president, Betty Williams.

Both Pryor and Williams were members of the Sacramento chapter until the national NAACP suspended them in 2023 over allegations of misusing money for personal benefit. Both came under scrutiny over a pandemic meal distribution contract between Sacramento County and the Sacramento NAACP. Williams at the time publicly claimed her ouster by the national chapter was politically motivated by Callender, who she challenged for the statewide NAACP president role. Williams said she was the second NAACP leader to be suspended right before an election challenging Callender.

Water agency in limbo

Meanwhile, the Valley Water investigation into Callender has ramped up. Callender has been on indefinite leave from Silicon Valley’s largest water supplier since December as it investigates a misconduct complaint against him. The nature of the complaint has not been publicly disclosed, and the board of directors has declined to give details as the investigation continues.

Callender became the first Black man to lead the water agency in May 2020. Three women directors voted against his appointment at the time, citing allegations of sexual harassment he faced in 2008. A Valley Water employee, Jessica Collins, sued the agency and Callender, accusing him of making unwanted advances. The case was dropped, but Collins claimed an investigation into her complaint recommended Callender be terminated, according to the lawsuit.

Callender, meanwhile, plans to file his own claim against the water agency over workplace retaliation and discrimination. The NAACP of San Jose/Silicon Valley — where Callender previously served as president from 2000 to 2008 — sent a letter to the agency on March 18, lambasting the Valley Water investigation as a racially biased effort to discredit Callender.

San José Spotlight previously reported that the interim CEO serving in Callender’s stead, Melanie Richardson, faces her own questions as she oversees a contract with her husband’s consulting firm.

Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X.