{"id":195670,"date":"2026-02-27T00:40:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T00:40:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/195670\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T00:40:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T00:40:06","slug":"santa-clara-valley-water-district-should-have-dealt-with-ceos-harassment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/195670\/","title":{"rendered":"Santa Clara Valley Water District should have dealt with CEO’s harassment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Submit your letter to the editor via this form<\/a>. Read more Letters to the Editor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

District should have dealt with harassment<\/p>\n

Re: \u201cReport: Group CEO harassed employees<\/a>\u201d (Page A1, Feb. 25).<\/p>\n

The article about the conclusion of the investigation of Rick Callendar, CEO of Santa Clara Valley Water District, contains this quote from the investigating firm: \u201cCallendar engaged in severe or pervasive conduct that violated the District\u2019s prohibition on sexual harassment\u201d. (Details of the conduct follow in the article.)<\/p>\n

In spite of that, the district\u2019s elected board voted 6-1 to keep Callandar on public payroll for another year as an adviser at a salary of $520,000. In addition, the board has paid legal fees of $577,926 and crisis communication fees of $275,000. Tony Estremera, the board chairman, said the settlement agreement is \u201cdesigned to save the district and its ratepayers money over the long term,\u201d and he warns of future litigation.<\/p>\n

As a \u201cratepayer,\u201d I am more concerned with the ethics of the agreement and the lack of concern regarding harassment of women in the workforce. Isn\u2019t everyone?<\/p>\n

Judy BarbeauSan Jose<\/p>\n

Deal with CEO is best choice for Water District<\/p>\n

Re: \u201cReport: Group CEO harassed employees<\/a>\u201d (Page A1, Feb. 25).<\/p>\n

As much as I hate to say it, the Santa Clara Valley Water District\u2019s board did the right thing by striking a deal for $500,000 with their former CEO Rick Callender.<\/p>\n

From what is reported, it doesn\u2019t look like the harassment case against Callender is open and shut by any means. Continuing litigation could cost the district into the millions.<\/p>\n

Far better to spend the money on improving infrastructure and service.<\/p>\n

Stan BogosianSaratoga<\/p>\n

SJSU students can\u2019t wait for future improvements<\/p>\n

Growth at San Jose State University is impossible to ignore. With enrollment climbing towards 40,000 students<\/a>, campus life feels more crowded than ever. Growing pains are inevitable, but how much longer are we going to endure the packed classrooms, long lines for parking<\/a>\u00a0and full study spaces? What was once manageable now feels stretched to its limits.<\/p>\n

Students can see the promised plans of a modern, improved campus in the future, but for now, we are stuck with unfinished projects that bring noise, detours and disruption. As a campus made up of 85% commuters, they feel the pressure most as they circle the garages and navigate the heavy downtown traffic to make it to class on time.<\/p>\n

As a whole, the university could better balance enrollment with available resources. This could include increasing hybrid and online course options to ensure the success of not only students but professors as well.<\/p>\n

Kaviana JurriesSan Jose<\/p>\n

State of Union unveiled our failing leadership<\/p>\n

Re: \u201cTrump seeks to calm country\u2019s economic jitters<\/a>\u201d (Page A1, Feb. 25).<\/p>\n

Donald Trump\u2019s State of the Union was more spectacle than substance, relying on emotional staging, exaggerated claims and self-promotion rather than honest leadership. The speech was filled with misleading statements about the economy, jobs, inflation and global respect, while avoiding real national problems. Republican lawmakers showed enthusiastic support while Trump exploited patriotic symbols and individuals to elevate himself.<\/p>\n

Overall, the speech was dishonest, self-serving and dangerous, less a report on the nation\u2019s condition than a warning sign of deepening political decay and failed leadership while reinforcing political polarization, undermining democratic norms and reflecting growing concerns about America\u2019s stability, credibility and global leadership.<\/p>\n

Paul OsbornMorgan Hill<\/p>\n

Speech put focus on president\u2019s self-delusion<\/p>\n

Re: \u201cTrump seeks to calm country\u2019s economic jitters<\/a>\u201d (Page A1, Feb. 25).<\/p>\n

Did anyone else see a petulant old man claiming empty victories, spitting accusations and rambling on for over a hundred minutes in the State of the Union?<\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t it obvious that this man has no grip on reality and is only frantically trying to maintain a grip on power, as he adores no one but himself?<\/p>\n

He is a self-deluded man who doesn\u2019t realize he\u2019s not wearing a crown.<\/p>\n

Claudia ParkerSan Jose<\/p>\n

AI robs students of critical thinking<\/p>\n

The normalization of generative AI in educational settings has damaged students\u2019 critical thinking skills and creativity.<\/p>\n

Instead of utilizing the resources we are given (which are much more credible), I\u2019ve noticed that many immediately consult ChatGPT because it is quick to generate a response. However, its responses are often soulless and blatantly obvious. As a college student, I can only imagine how much it has negatively affected the learning experiences of K-8 students.<\/p>\n

In times like these, I believe that reading, doing your own independent research and engaging in discourse with peers is more important than ever. Education and creativity are weapons that a bot cannot replicate.<\/p>\n

Kate SandovalSan Jose<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor. District should have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":195671,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[2080,184,7,536,181,2953,1564,193,975,88,90,89,6345,198,199,29463,200,646],"class_list":{"0":"post-195670","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-jose","8":"tag-artificial-intelligence","9":"tag-bay-area","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-donald-trump","12":"tag-latest-headlines","13":"tag-letters","14":"tag-letters-to-the-editor","15":"tag-morgan-hill","16":"tag-opinion","17":"tag-san-jose","18":"tag-san-jose-headlines","19":"tag-san-jose-news","20":"tag-san-jose-state-university","21":"tag-santa-clara-county","22":"tag-saratoga","23":"tag-sexual-harassment","24":"tag-south-bay","25":"tag-water"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=195670"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195670\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/195671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=195670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=195670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}