Report 2021-104 Recommendation 4 Responses

Report 2021-104: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California: Its Leadership Has Failed to Promote Transparency or Ensure a Fair and Equitable Workplace (Release Date: April 2022)

Recommendation #4 To: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

To ensure that it is complying with state and federal laws as well as best practices, by October 2022 MWD should update its EEO policy to:

- Include a robust definition and examples of retaliation.

- Include information about an employee's right to file a complaint directly with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) or the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

- Make explicit reference to written investigatory procedures and describe where employees can obtain a copy of those procedures.

- Ensure that the policy accurately reflects all other requirements in state and federal law. In order to do so, MWD should establish a process for regularly reviewing the policy to determine whether changes are needed.

60-Day Agency Response

Metropolitan updated its EEO policies (H-07 and H-13) to ensure compliance with state and federal laws as well as best practices. The policies include clear definitions and examples of retaliation, information on employees' rights regarding where and how to file complaints, a description of investigatory procedures and where employees can access the procedures and additional resources. Metropolitan will regularly review the policies and update as needed.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Fully Implemented

MWD provided copies of its revised policies, which include the required information and a commitment to review the policies at least annually.

All Recommendations in 2021-104

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.