LandWatch Staff and Boards

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. 

Marit Evans is model "citizen activist," and has made many contributions to Monterey County through her involvement in land use, historic preservation, community service, and general government matters.

Marit's public service in Monterey County began as a resident of the Toro area. Concerns about land use led to the formation of property owner groups in both Corral de Tierra and San Benancio. These two groups then combined to form the Highway 68 Coalition, of which Marit is currently Co-Chair. As an activist for Toro, Marit was appointed to the Monterey County Planning Commission in 1973, and was the first woman Chair of the Planning Commission. She served on the Commission for a total of thirteen years, in two separate terms of service. Over the years, she attended many conferences covering land use, historic resource standards, water resources, and CEQA.

During her period of service on the Planning Commission, Marit was appointed to the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, on which she served for eight years, including a year as the first woman Chair.

Marit volunteered with the first Head Start program organized in the Alisal of Salinas, serving for more than two years. Formerly a member of the Salinas Valley League of Women Voters, she transferred to the Monterey Peninsula Chapter in 1985, when she was appointed to the Monterey County Planning Commission for the second time.

Marit's interest in historic resources began when she prepared a successful nomination of her childhood ranch home for The National Register of Historic Places, which was accepted and approved in 1988. She was appointed to the Monterey County Historic Resources Review Board in 1988. The historic home on the Marks Ranch and the beauty of the property that had been willed for public use has prompted Marit to be come spokesperson for the campaign to save the Marks Ranch. This is an ongoing concern and major project for her.

Marit is a native of California and graduated from Stanford University, along with her husband, Edward L.S. Evans, in 1948. They arrived in Monterey County with a family of two daughters in 1964. There are now four grandchildren who give Marit great enjoyment and comfort, easing the loss of her husband after fifty-eight years together.

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.

Lupe Garcia became the Deputy Director at LandWatch Monterey County in August, 2005. Previously, Lupe served as a Community Action Advocate at LandWatch for four years. Her organizing efforts on behalf of LandWatch in East Salinas are a dramatic example of the power of land use policy in the hands of a well informed community. The formation of Líderes Comunitarios de Salinas (Community Leaders of Salinas) was a direct result of Lupe’s outreach. With the direction and assistance of Lupe, the Líderes collected over 8,000 advisory petitions demanding polices that made a much stronger commitment to providing housing affordable to the working people of Salinas. As a direct result of that effort, now, almost three years later, the City of Salinas is poised to adopt a new inclusionary housing ordinance that will require developers to provide as much as 35 % of new housing for rent and for purchase at prices affordable to average and below average income families.

Before coming to LandWatch, Lupe began her community advocacy work in Salinas as a member of the Violent Injury Prevention Coalition. As a Neighborhood Services Coordinator for the City of Salinas, Lupe worked with East Salinas residents to implement the "Ten Block Area." This program was designed to increase and streamline services to the underserved community of East Salinas. Most recently, as Community Coordinator for Partners For Peace, Lupe worked with local school districts to implement PeaceBuilders and coordinated community events to increase the peace in Salinas. Lupe will be helping LandWatch increase resident participation in land use policy decisions.

Together with her husband Ted and their three children, Lupe has lived in Salinas since 1992.

Gary Karnes has lived and worked in the Salinas area for 35 years. Gary has devoted most of his adult life on behalf of working families. Since moving to Salinas in 1970 Gary has worked as an employee, an independent contractor, and as volunteer for a wide area of progressive institutions including organized labor, affordable housing providers, tenant associations, neighborhood associations, legal service providers for under-served communities, nonprofits working to reduce the use of agricultural pesticides, nonprofits working to reduce the incidence of abuse of seniors in nursing homes, and nonprofits working to elevate the professional skills of in-home health care providers and the quality of care received by their clients.

Gary also has worked as an independent contractor on a wide array of political initiatives including school bond issues, hospital bonds, and initiatives to provide funding for city services. As an elected Trustee of the Alisal Union School District, Gary has worked to improve the academic achievements of the students in the district.

Paula Lotz is the former owner of a recruiting company that specialized in executive and technical placements in the electronic design industry.  After relocating to Monterey County in 1997, Paula has been active and involved in many aspects of Land Use.  Her business background, communication and organizational skills have been well utilized as the Vice President for Land Use with the Carmel Valley Association (CVA).  CVA is a local community organization whose mission is to preserve, protect and defend the natural beauty and resources of Carmel Valley and the County of Monterey.  Paula has participated in the General Plan Update process for several years.  She helped with facilitation of the workshops that resulted in 18 organizations participating in developing the Community General Plan.

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.

Gary Patton has developed a well-earned reputation throughout the state as a leader on land use and local planning. Before coming to LandWatch he was the General Counsel of the Planning and Conservation League, a statewide environmental group based in Sacramento.

Gary brings both dedication and a wealth of experience to LandWatch. From 1975 to 1995, he was an elected member of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, and was a member of virtually all the agencies involved in land use and quality of life issues. Gary served on Santa Cruz County's Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), which is responsible for critical land use decisions, including annexations and incorporations, and also served on the statewide California Association of LAFCOs. Gary was a member of the Central Coast Regional Coastal Commission, AMBAG, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District, the Board of Directors of the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District, and the State Air Resources Board. Patton also headed the Local Government Commission, a statewide nonprofit association of both city and county elected officials that has specialized in stimulating local actions to create more livable communities. He is the author of Santa Cruz County's comprehensive and effective growth management program, adopted by the voters in 1978.

A graduate of Stanford University and Stanford Law School, Gary is the author of numerous articles about land use and government. He also reads, writes, and speaks Spanish.

Ms. Panetta has a strong background in labor and community organizing. She rose from the rank and file of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union to become a Field Representative for over one thousand restaurant workers in Los Angeles. She prepared workers for negotiations, planned educational programs, and participated in labor actions. She also organized and recruited academic faculty at UCLA with the American Federation of Teachers. Later, Ms. Panetta joined the UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education, a labor “think tank" and research organization.

Elizabeth Panetta organized the Save Spreckles community organization, and led residents in a fight for the agricultural and historic preservation of the land in her home town. Most recently, she served as a Community Action Advocate for LandWatch during which time she worked to increase affordable housing in Monterey County and preserve prime agricultural land in the Salinas Valley.

Eva Regnier is an assistant professor of decision science at the Defense Resources Management Institute at the Naval Postgraduate School, where her research interests include economic analysis of decisions with environmental consequences and decisions involving environmental uncertainty. She previously worked as an environmental engineer at Groundwater Technology, Inc. and Ecology and Environment, Inc. Dr. Regnier received an undergraduate degree in engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a master's degree in operations research and a doctorate in economic decision analysis from Georgia Institute of Technology.