FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                  CONTACT: Kim Kellogg
Tues., Nov. 5, 2013                                                                           510-325-3195

West County Wastewater District Demands Leonard Battaglia’s Resignation

RICHMOND (Tues., Nov. 5, 2013) --- The Board of Directors of West County Wastewater District (WCWD) today passed a Resolution at its November board meeting censuring Board Member Leonard Battaglia, and issued the following statement when the meeting concluded.
The Resolution and statement are in response to the October 20 article in the Contra Costa Times in which WCWD Board Chairman Leonard Battaglia was quoted making negative racial remarks about minorities:

The West County Wastewater District and its Board of Directors has issued a Resolution censuring Director Leonard Battaglia for disparaging remarks made about minorities during an interview he had with the Contra Costa Times.  The West County Wastewater District and its Board emphatically state that in no way do they condone the remarks made by Mr. Battaglia during his interview with the newspaper.

Although Mr. Battaglia has written a public apology for his inexcusable statements and lack of judgment, we believe the District cannot effectively represent the diverse constituencies of Richmond and other cities served, as well as the District’s staff, under the shadow of Mr. Battaglia’s comments.

“Our District and its Board of Directors celebrate and respect the diversity of our constituents, employees and partners.  We have a long-standing reputation for dedication to community service and building partnerships with citizens and diverse organizations in our geographic region, and we cannot let this incident tarnish that,” said Board President Alfred Granzella.  “We have, therefore, demanded Mr. Battaglia’s resignation, effective immediately. We have further removed Mr. Battaglia from all District standing, ad hoc and other committees on which he sits, including the West County Agency, which is a partnership between the WCWD and the City of Richmond.”