Santa Clara Valley Water CEO Rick Callender is resigning effective March 1, after more than a year of an internal misconduct investigation. The board announced the move at a special meeting today, even as it agreed to keep Callender on the public payroll as a "special advisor" for a year. The arrangement, which also includes reimbursing some of his legal fees, has triggered sharp criticism from a dissenting director and union leaders who say the deal sends the wrong message to workers.
Board vote and terms
At the meeting, the board voted 6-1, with Director Rebecca Eisenberg dissenting, to retain Callender as a special advisor at his current salary and benefits for one year and to reimburse $65,000 in attorney fees, as reported by San José Spotlight. The board also placed limits on Callender's access, barring him from contacting staff or using district facilities without prior approval. In other words, he keeps the paycheck and benefits but will be largely kept out of the day-to-day operations.
Staff and union push back
Union leaders and at least one board member said the deal felt secretive and unfair to employees who reported misconduct. "We are disappointed by that," said Salam Baqleh, a union spokesperson, and Director Rebecca Eisenberg described the agreement as "extraordinarily biased" toward the executive, according to San José Spotlight. For critics, the optics are straightforward: rank-and-file employees raise concerns, and the top executive walks away with a paid advisory role.
Investigation and outside lawsuit
Callender went on leave in December 2024 while Valley Water investigated an employee misconduct complaint, and a colleague at the state NAACP later filed a civil suit alleging emotional abuse and conflicts of interest tied to his role at the organization. The complaint, filed March 20 and reviewed in court documents, accuses Callender of pressuring the NAACP to seek public sponsorships from Valley Water and lays out multiple employment, discrimination and retaliation claims; see the court filing Salena Pryor v. NAACP. Callender first became Valley Water's CEO in May 2020, per the agency's announcement from Valley Water.
Pay, politics and what's next
Public records show Callender's 2024 total pay and benefits exceeded $600,000; Transparent California lists his 2024 total pay-and-benefits figure at roughly $649,676. The board's agenda also shows an item to appoint an interim CEO to start March 12, and to authorize compensation for that role, with the details posted on Legistar.
The board is expected to take up interim leadership and related staffing items in the coming days, and the agency continues to treat personnel matters as confidential. Employees and ratepayers alike will be watching to see whether directors follow up with more transparency as they juggle costly infrastructure projects, routine operations, and the fallout from a leadership shakeup that is not exactly low drama.
