West Valley Water District selects Manbahal as permanent general manager

The West Valley Water District (WVWD) Board of Directors confirmed its selection of Interim General Manager Shamindra “Rickey” Manbahal as the permanent general manager.

“Mr. Manbahal has served our water district as interim general manager with distinction and we couldn’t be more proud to have him on board as our permanent general manager,” said WVWD Board President Channing Hawkins. “As a public organization, Manbahal’s vision for a fiscally and environmentally-sustainable West Valley Water District that can expand to meet growing consumer demand will be critical to our success.”

“I’m honored to have been selected as West Valley Water District’s general manager. I believe I have proven my dedication to improving transparency, efficiency, and trust at every level of this organization and am excited to help guide this organization through its continued rebirth and growth. We’re working on a critical resource at a very critical time. Dealing with major issues such as drought and population growth over the next several years will not be an easy task, but I’m confident that we have what it takes to continue to create a model organization,” said the new GM, Rickey Manbahal.

Manbahal was hired as chief financial officer in 2019. Prior to his tenure at WVWD, Manbahal served as director of finance, assistant financial services director and interim finance director for localities throughout California. Before these positions, Manbahal worked as an internal auditor for the County of Los Angeles.

Manbahal earned his master’s degree in public administration from California State University Northridge and a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He also serves as a part-time lecturer at UCLA Extension, where he leads intensive courses in auditing, accounting and business management.