A misconduct probe into the boss of Silicon Valley’s largest water supplier has dragged on for a year – with no answers as to what the agency has discovered — while he continues to collect paychecks. A Santa Clara Valley Water spokesperson has confirmed CEO Rick Callender is still on leave. But the agency won’t...
Controversial Santa Clara County dam expansion scrapped
One of Valley Water’s most controversial and costly projects has been shelved indefinitely. The water district’s board of directors unanimously voted Tuesday to suspend the Pacheco Dam expansion project after eight years, which would have brought the dam’s water capacity from 5,500 acre feet of water to 140,000 acre feet of water. Directors cited the...
Valley Water land sees reduction in San Jose homeless camps
As efforts to clean up trash and clear homeless residents from local waterways continue, officials are working to make sure people don’t just move from one location to the next due to lack of housing. Valley Water has removed 462 homeless encampments from its land since implementing a no camping policy at the end of...
San Jose police help Valley Water cite, arrest homeless residents
Santa Clara County’s largest water agency can’t cite or arrest homeless people creating pollution or trespassing on its property — but the police unit it contracts with can. It’s part of Valley Water’s Stream Stewardship Law Enforcement program, where San Jose Police Department officers from the street crimes unit go out to homeless encampments along...
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...
Investigation into Silicon Valley water CEO ramps up
Valley Water CEO Rick Callender’s leave of absence has been extended indefinitely as the region’s largest water supplier continues its investigation into an employee’s misconduct complaint against him. Callender was originally supposed to return to work between late March and early April. But the Valley Water board of directors voted Tuesday to place Callender on...
Interim Silicon Valley water CEO faces conflict of interest concerns
The temporary head of Silicon Valley’s largest water agency is facing questions over a potential conflict of interest as she oversees a contract with her husband’s consulting firm. Melanie Richardson, a former deputy administrator and assistant CEO at Santa Clara Valley Water, has come out of a recent retirement to lead the water agency as...
UPDATE: Silicon Valley water officials approve pay raises
The elected leaders of Silicon Valley’s largest water supplier granted themselves pay raises, arguing more compensation would entice younger people to run for elected office. Valley Water’s board of directors unanimously approved a 5% raise from $365.87 to $384.16 per meeting on Tuesday. The board members are paid per meeting and can only get paid...
Silicon Valley water agency flops on outreach ahead of sweeps
Santa Clara County’s largest water agency has begun banning homeless encampments on its property, reversing a commitment to let nonprofits and advocates do outreach prior to enforcing its new policy. Although Valley Water planned to start training nonprofit groups to provide information to homeless residents prior to enforcing an encampment ban on Jan. 2, that hasn’t...
Valley Water CEO accused of misconduct fights back
Valley Water CEO Rick Callender is lawyering up as the region’s largest water supplier investigates a misconduct complaint against him — and he’s filing his own claims of a hostile work environment. Lori Costanzo, an attorney representing Callender, is demanding Valley Water hand over Callender’s personnel file, including all records of background checks and investigations,...