LVWD General Manager Jack Alayyan on Administrative Leave

LVWD General Manager Jack Alayyan confirmed to a reporter, Kaylee Heck, from KFOX/KDBC yesterday that he is in fact on administrative leave relating to a charge of sexual harassment.

Lower Valley Water had to pay out on a previous employment issue in which a claim of sexual harassment was alleged against Alayyan.

This is now the second allegation against Alayyan raised that has risen to the level of the board.

The person who was the alleged victim in the first allegation that the board ended up paying out money on went to the special meeting last night. She told the reporter she was there to show solidarity with the other woman raising the issue even though she doesn't know her.

Alayyan told Heck that he would do an interview with her but was not at the meeting when the meeting started. He arrived only when the board had moved into executive session and he went in through a side door that had controlled access. He later tried to slip out of the building un-noticed but the reporter saw him and chased him into the parking lot.

Here is a link to the story online, but this is part of the video from the story that aired last night.



As you can see, Alayyan appears to have had a change of heart about the interview. He was visibly annoyed when he was asked about the previous claims leveled against him.

The Board has dealt with this issue on several agendas and it keeps getting tabled. When asked by the reporter about the item Board President and Founding Member Rosalinda Vigil repeatedly stated that it was a personnel matter and that she didn't want to discuss it but wanted to invite the public to a special meeting on the matter on October 4th. She was also asked how if the Board paid out on a previous settlement how Alayyan still has a job and Vigil repeated that she didn't want to discuss the matter.

The reporter also asked her about the public funds spent on the previous settlement and Vigil indicated that it wasn't public money that was spent. That doesn't appear to be accurate considering that Lower Valley Water is a taxing entity, which would mean that by definition, they are public funds.

The Board may have made a settlement offer to Alayyan and is giving him time to consider the offer. If Alayyan is fired, it may be costly for the Board which may explain whey they are taking this particular course of action - if they are considering letting him go at all.

It was interesting to see that Alayyan's normal spot on the dais was vacant and his name plate was gone as you can see in this photo.