BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
Valley Water has been sued by an employee who said she was blacklisted for reporting the agency’s former CEO for sexually harassing her.
The allegations go back to 2006, when Jessica Collins was hired as a legal analyst for Valley Water. She was on the same company softball team as former CEO Rick Callender, who was assistant officer of government relations at the time. Callender allegedly told a coworker that he liked when Collins came into the executive area “because she jiggled as she walked and that he thought it was cute,” Collins said in her latest lawsuit, filed on Monday.
Collins also said she heard a rumor from coworkers that Callender was the father of her child.
Callender said he welcomes the opportunity to present the facts, defend his name and prevail in court.
“These allegations are categorically false, baseless and a reckless attempt to damage my reputation,” he said in an email yesterday.
Collins first sued Valley Water in July 2009 over Callender’s alleged sexual harassment. She said Callender invited her to snowboarding trips, fundraising dinners and wine tasting in Napa, and then pretended like he sent the messages to the wrong person when she didn’t respond.
Callender allegedly told Collins about women he was dating, asked about her personal life and complimented her pedicures and outfits.
Collins said Callender kissed her on the mouth after a dinner in September 2007. When she rejected Callender’s advances, he allegedly talked down to her and questioned her work.
“That pattern would go on for a while until he would start to be nice again, building up to his next advance,” Collins said in her first suit, which was dismissed in February 2010 after she stopped going to court.
Collins said she filed a complaint with Valley Water, and an investigation found that Callender sexually harassed her. Despite the investigation, the Valley Water board voted 4-3 to promote Callender to CEO in May 2020.
Collins said she applied for a promotion in August 2022 and went through two rounds of successful interviews before Callender joined an interview panel in the third round.
An assistant CEO told Collins that Callender had picked someone else and that he would be retiring soon.
“The implication was that (Collins) would have greater opportunity for advancement after his retirement,” Collins said in her latest lawsuit.
Collins said another Valley Water employee, who was also sexually harassed by Callender, told her that Callender had manipulated the score after the interview so Collins wouldn’t get the promotion. Another one of Callender’s alleged victims, assistant Velia Mariscal, gave Collins a text message exchange with Callender that mocked Collins for wanting a promotion, the suit said.
Callender went on leave Dec. 14, 2024, that ended up lasting for 14 months.
The board agreed to pay Callender’s legal fees and assume liability for his employment-related lawsuits on Feb. 20.
The board also agreed to keep him on as a a paid advisor for the next year with a $512,886 salary.
Callender announced he was retiring as CEO on March 1. The board then released reports that found Callender sent two female employees inappropriate photos, pressured them to spend time with him outside of work and commented on their physical attributes.
Callender promoted someone else over Collins because she had complained about him, the reports said.
Callender’s attorney said the accusations rely on “clear racial animus and stereotypical images of African American men.”
But the investigators found that Callender gave “evasive, argumentative and sarcastic answers” and that some of his explanations “defied logic.”
Collins is suing Valley Water for discrimination, retaliation and harassment. She said she’s experienced a loss of self-esteem, dread about going to work, nightmares, migraines, weight gain, chest pain, teeth grinding, cavities and a feeling of hopelessness.
Valley Water spokesman Matt Keller declined to comment on the lawsuit yesterday. He said the agency has been taking steps to rebuild trust and address workplace issues since Callender left. Employees are getting more trainings on sexual harassment prevention, power dynamics and bias, Keller said.
Interim CEO Melanie Richardson has reformed HR’s internal complaint and hiring processes and is meeting more often with union leaders, Keller said.
The board is also auditing the internal investigation process so investigations are timely and transparent, Keller said.
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