For nearly a decade, the Rio Linda Elverta Community Water District (RLECWD) followed a clear, albeit expensive, path toward solving its most pressing health crisis: Hexavalent Chromium (Chromium-6). But today, that path is blocked by a storm of litigation, personnel vendettas, and a fundamental shift in leadership that critics say is trading long-term public safety for short-term political theater.
At the center of this maelstrom are two figures: current Director Maria Liverett and former Director turned public antagonist Mary Harris-Garrison. While both frame their actions as a crusade for transparency and fiscal conservatism, a deep dive into District records reveals a starkly different reality—one where “saving money” on water infrastructure is being offset by a staggering explosion in legal fees and administrative paralysis.
The $150,000 Legal Sinkhole
Director Liverett has campaigned on a platform of “fiscal clarity,” recently demanding a “pause” on the District’s 90%-complete Ion Exchange treatment project at Well 15. Her argument is simple: the $3.9 million price tag is too high, and a “blending” alternative would save ratepayers over a million dollars.
However, the “savings” Liverett promises are being devoured by the legal consequences of her own policy initiatives.
- Budgetary Ballooning: Under Liverett’s tenure, the District’s legal services budget has been forced to jump from $35,000 to a projected $150,000—a 328% increase.
- Monthly Hemorrhaging: In late 2025, the District spent $28,000 on legal fees in a single month. By December 2025, total legal tallies surpassed $180,000 due to “independent investigations” into employees and PERB (Public Employment Relations Board) complaints.
- The Irony of Cost Control: Liverett argues that “if you cannot trace every dollar… it should not be approved”. Yet, the District is now paying premium rates to firms like Liebert Cassidy Whitmore and Kronick Moskovitz to defend against claims of “bad faith” bargaining and retaliation sparked by Liverett’s “Pre-Contract Renewal Accountability Process”.
A Pattern of Conflict: From Rio Linda to San Jose
To understand Liverett’s approach to District employees, one must look south to San Jose. As the owner of REO Mechanical, Liverett is currently embroiled in a massive legal battle with the City of San Jose over allegations of significant wage theft and labor violations.
The City issued a notice of violation against Liverett’s firm, carrying a staggering $717,592 fine. The allegations—including late or underpayment of wages and failure to pay into workers’ 401(k) plans—mirror the contentious labor environment now surfacing in Rio Linda. Just as one worker in San Jose alleged they were fired after raising pay concerns, RLECWD employees now face Liverett’s proposed “temporary freeze” on reinstatements and mandatory psychological “fitness-for-duty” evaluations for those who express fear of the Board.
For many, Liverett’s “accountability” handout to the Board is seen not as a fiscal tool, but as a blueprint for the same aggressive labor tactics that landed her firm in hot water in the South Bay.
The Garrison Factor: Litigation as a Weapon
Joining this friction from the outside is Mary Harris-Garrison, a former Director whose primary interaction with the District is now through the lens of the California Public Records Act (CPRA).
Garrison has filed expansive records requests that have sat unfulfilled for over 50 days, leading her to issue a formal “Notice of Intent to Sue” the District. Her demands include:
- Personal Device Seizures: Forcing General Manager Tim Shaw to turn over private communications based on the City of San Jose v. Superior Court precedent.
- IT Snapshots: Demanding “static IT snapshots” of District servers, adding technical and legal labor to an already overwhelmed staff.
While transparency is a public right, the timing and scope of these requests—narrowed by Liverett to target specific “retaliation” and “censure” communications—suggest a coordinated effort to keep the District’s legal engine running at high speed, at the taxpayers’ expense.
The Cost of Delay: Chromium-6 and Public Health
While the Board debates employee “insubordination” and legal snapshots, the “regulatory clock” on Chromium-6 continues to tick.
Liverett’s push to “pause” this project in favor of “blending” water from a new well introduces massive risks:
- Sunk Costs: The District is contractually obligated to pay for the engineering already completed. Abandoning it now means throwing away hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- Regulatory Default: The District has already submitted its compliance plan to the State for Well 15. A sudden shift in technology could lead to state-level penalties and a loss of public trust.
- Funding Jeopardy: Mitigation projects require $7.5M in State Revolving Fund loans. Constant leadership friction and “Bad Faith” PERB complaints make the District a high-risk candidate for these low-interest loans.
Conclusion: A Choice of Priorities
The Rio Linda Elverta Community Water District is at a crossroads. On one hand is a nine-year, nearly-finished plan to ensure the community has water that meets state health standards. On the other is a new era of “accountability” that has, so far, produced more legal invoices than it has saved in project costs.
As Director Liverett continues her battle with the City of San Jose and Mary Harris-Garrison prepares her lawsuit against the District, the question remains: Can Rio Linda afford the high cost of this “fiscal conservatism”?
The Executive Committee next meets on May 13, 2026, 6:00 P.M. at the Visitors / Depot Center, 6730 Front Street in Rio Linda- The first meeting with General Manager Pro Tempore Felix Felix.
The next Board meeting has been rescheduled for Monday May 18th.
For the residents of Rio Linda, these may be the most important meetings of the decade. Your health, and your wallet, are on the line.
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