BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
CEO Rick Callender has traveled to Ghana, Africa, while on medical leave from his position atop Valley Water, the agency tasked with flood control in Santa Clara County.
Callender, who makes a $512,886 salary from Valley Water, traveled to Ghana with a group of students for the NAACP on Jan. 2, according to a newsletter and posts on social media.
Callender has been on paid leave from Valley Water since Dec. 16 and anticipates returning on April 1.
Callender is also president of the NAACP California-Hawaii State Conference.
Valley Water paid for Callender to go to NAACP conferences in New York City, Boston, Baltimore and Atlanta in 2023, public records from Valley Water show.
Callender spent $24,326 on publicly funded travel in 2023, including $14,070 going to NAACP events, public records from Valley Water show.
Valley Water spent another $3,698 for Callender to go to a conference in Las Vegas in July, according to his reimbursement request.
Valley Water isn’t paying for the trip to Africa, Valley Water spokeswoman Paola Reyes said in an email. The agency hasn’t disclosed why he is on medical leave.
Visit to Africa
Callender talked about his trip to Ghana briefly in a newsletter for the NAACP.
“I’m sure many of us have heard that we need to visit The Mother Land, Africa, at some point in our lives,” he said.
“As I write this message, I am sitting in Ghana in the middle of what has proven to be a transformative experience reconnecting with my African roots. Now I understand even better why all of us have to continue in our fight for justice in America, and the roots of where our fight originally started.”
Callender is planning trips this year to an NAACP gala in Los Angeles, a national convention in North Carolina and a state convention in Hawaii, he said in his newsletter.
The 10-day trip to Africa was sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the NAACP California-Hawaii State Conference said on social media.
Callender joined 43 students in the NAACP’s Amos C. Brown Student Fellowship. They visited a library, museum and palace in the capital city of Accra and wore traditional African clothes, social media posts said.
Valley Water board member Rebecca Eisenberg, who represents Palo Alto, said Friday that she was surprised to learn Callender went on a trip to Ghana.
Board member kept in dark
“I don’t know if other Valley Water executives are with him, and I do not know who is paying for the trip,” she said. “My efforts to learn more have been fruitless.”
Callender has worked for Valley Water since 1996 and was appointed as CEO in May 2020 with a salary of $326,352.
He’s received raises each year since, most recently on Aug. 27 to surpass $500,000.
Callender received another $64,532 in benefits in 2023 for a total compensation of $582,043, according to a Transparent California database.
The Valley Water board on Tuesday will talk about appointing an interim CEO and an acting CEO while Callender is on medical leave.
He should be fired. His misuse of funds is outrageous.