LandWatch Staff and Boards

Robin Cohen, Board Member

Julie Engell is a small business owner and a resident of North Monterey County who, like many Monterey County citizens, is concerned about the economic, social and environmental consequences of wasteful land-use practices.

Julie and her husband, Curtis Spitler, moved to Monterey County from Oklahoma in September 1989.  Shortly after arriving, she immersed herself in her new surroundings.  She studied horticulture at Monterey Peninsula College, with special interest in native plants, and after completing the Aquarium’s required course of study, became a volunteer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where she served as a guide for almost twelve years.

Julie’s understanding of the region evolved to include an interest in local land-use policy.  This interest converged with Monterey County’s initiation of its General Plan Update and with the permitting of the Duke Energy Plant expansion at Moss Landing.  It is an interest that has deepened ever since.

Julie was appointed by former Supervisor Judy Pennycook to the Monterey County Planning Commission to finish the term of the late Carol Lacey.  She served throughout the summer and fall of 2002, a period during which the commission tackled controversies such as property owner requests for general plan amendments and the proposed placement of a Calpine electricity plant in Pajaro. 

When her term ended, Julie continued her involvement in the General Plan Update process, increasingly focusing on the economic and environmental threats posed by the County’s intent to encourage development of Rancho San Juan north of Salinas -- the biggest project in County history. Undeterred by warnings that Rancho San Juan was a “done deal," a small, diverse group of activists, encouraged and advised by LandWatch, challenged the project’s approval. With Julie as its chair, the Rancho San Juan Opposition Coalition and an army of supporters qualified a referendum by gathering more than 16,000 signatures during the 2004 holidays. The project’s fate will be decided by voters in an election scheduled for November 2005. Julie continues to work on this and other land use issues. 

Chris Flescher came to LandWatch initially as a volunteer interested in the pedestrian and bicycle friendly policies of “Traditional Neighborhood Development." Although his duties at LandWatch are primarily administrative, he has been actively involved in substantive transportation and land use issues since 1995. He has worked as a volunteer with the Southern California Transit Advocates, the Rail Passenger Association of California and the National Association of Rail Passengers.

Dale Hillard is a retired teacher/counselor of 33 years. He taught Physical Science, Chemistry, Physics, Family Life & Family Psychology. He has a MA in Education and a MA in Counseling. He is also a Certified Trainer for the American Society of Group Psychotherapy & Psychodrama. He is a Life Member of the Sierra Club, the National Science Teachers Association, and has a passion for keeping Honey Bees. He has been on the Board of Directors of the Steinbeck Credit Union, past chairperson for the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Monterey County and presently on the Board of Stewards for the Pacific Coast Church. Dale joined the LandWatch board in 2006.

David Morales is an attorney who specializes in intellectual property and business litigation. Mr. Morales is a member of the State Bar of California, Intellectual Property Section, and has been admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He received an undergraduate degree in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, B.S., Civil Engineering, a master of public administration from Princeton University, M.P.A, and doctorate in jurisprudence from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, J.D.

Elizabeth Panetta has a strong background in labor and community organizing. She emerged from the rank and file of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union and went on to become a Field Representative Local 11 in Los Angeles. After working for the University of California - American Federation of Teachers, she worked at the UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education, an organization that works to serve “as a bridge between the university and the labor community in Southern California".

As a member of the small community of Spreckels, she organized “Save Spreckels" a community campaign to fight for agricultural and historic preservation of the land around Spreckels, one of the few remaining intact company towns west of the Mississippi River. Later, as a Community Action Advocate for LandWatch, she worked to increase affordable housing in Monterey County and preserve prime agricultural land in the Salinas Valley.

In 2007 she was elected to the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Board of Education and is currently serving as Clerk-Vice President.

Creighton Peet (“Tony") is a writer and activist who has lived in Monterey County for the past 17 years.

Tony was born and raised in San Francisco, and first arrived in Monterey County by train at the age of 10 -- headed for summer camp in Carmel Valley where he would spend the next 5 summers.

Over the next number of years, Tony graduated from Stanford University in the Santa Clara Valley, had a first career in Advertising in New York and San Francisco, and eventually moved down to Big Sur in the fall of 1991 where he lived and worked at the Esalen Institute for two years.

Tony moved to Pacific Grove in 1993. During his time on the Monterey Peninsula, he has been actively involved in The Breakthrough Men’s Community, The Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Monterey County Peace Community, “Yes on Measure A" and other progressive undertakings. As a result of his anti-war activism, MoveOn.org chose Tony’s essay to appear in their bestselling book, “50 Ways to Love Your Country."

Tony’s primary skills are in various areas of communications. He is also a clear and visionary strategic thinker with a talent for creating innovative and effective marketing programs. Tony has a strong background in personal psychology and awareness, and some training and experience with cultural conditioning around class, gender, and race.

Mr. Matthew Sundt has provided land planning and environmental consulting services for 24 years. He has prepared over 250 environmental documents and has managed a variety of land development projects throughout California. His professional strengths include a broad knowledge of federal and state environmental regulations (CEQA and NEPA), local regulations pertinent to land development and project entitlements, and project management. He has demonstrated his ability to successfully facilitate projects in the most restrictive and complicated regulatory environments. Mr. Sundt is adept in his ability to consult, collaborate, and communicate effectively with a wide range of individuals and organizations. Prior to his work experience in planning and environmental consulting he worked in the local construction trades as a laborer and union cement mason. He paid for college by fighting fires for six seasons as part of a USFS Hotshot crew and as a USFS Smokejumper. Mr. Sundt is confident that his background and professional experience will be beneficial to Monterey County LandWatch and Monterey County.

Mr. Sundt has been a Monterey Peninsula resident since 1975. He and his wife Elizabeth Caraker (Principal Planner - City of Monterey) reside in Monterey. Both he and Elizabeth are competitive athletes. Matthew continues his life long appreciation for books (family owned Old Capitol Books in Monterey), hiking and trail maintenance in the Los Padres, travelling, and cooking.