Citizen's Advisory Committee

Erin Gil is a small business owner and second-generation farmer living and growing in Santa Clara County. His community experience includes membership with the California Landscape Contractors Association, the California Farm Bureau Federation, and Valley Water Community Board Member for the Landscape Advisory and Agriculture committees.

Frank Cancilla has been involved in the Berryessa Community since 2010, holding positions including President of the Berryessa Business Association and Chair/President of the Berryessa Art Festival. Frank was formerly a member of the Expenditure Oversight Committee for five years and transitioned to the CAC.

Robert is a tireless volunteer, working with the Human Rights Committee, Santa Clara County Trail Watch, Guadalupe Community Garden, Guadalupe River Task Force and SJPD Citizen Advisory Committee. He and his wife volunteer at the Grant Ranch Historical Rose Garden on Mount Hamilton, and he is president of the Rose Garden Neighborhood Association.

Alyson Falwell joined the CAC in 2023. A lifelong hiker, she has hiked all around the world. An avid user of Open Space Authority trails, Alyson is excited to contribute as a member of the CAC and hopes to inspire others to enjoy and protect the precious local natural resources. She has a master's in public health and works at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. 

Loren Lewis was born in Santa Clara County and has lived in South San José all his life. By trade, he is a high-tech project manager with a master's in political science and substantial coursework in sustainability, water resource management and environmental policy. Loren came to know the agency through competitive trail running training at the preserves.

Raj Bhanot joined the CAC in 2015. He has been a Human Rights Commissioner for the City of San José, a Human Relations Commissioner in Santa Clara County and an Advisory Committee member for affordable housing measures. Raj is the co-founder of the Hindu Temple and Community Center of Sunnyvale and the founder of Indo American Society of Bay Area.  

Justin Fields, who joined the CAC in 2010, has a vested interest and pride in protecting open space while promoting Santa Clara Valley’s tradition of agriculture. He is a fifth-generation cattle rancher in the Coyote Valley area who enjoys helping others understand the importance of grazing, including native habitat protection and fire protection.

Steve Mink joined the CAC in 2019 and is a “triple threat” volunteer (Trail Patrol, Land Stewards and Trail Masters). He has always enjoyed the outdoors, and upon retirement, was looking for a way to get outside every day, take a break from technology and engage new people and ideas. This led him straight to the Open Space Authority.

Dan Kenney is a longtime member of the CAC who keeps himself quite busy with a plethora of volunteer experiences throughout the community, from beautification and conservation of Coyote Valley and Morgan Hill open spaces, to homelessness solutions and music volunteering at Montalvo Arts Center.

Lani Wong-Bassett has been involved with several causes and committees over the past 13+ years, including Silicon Valley Pride, the Rainbow Chamber of Commerce and Project More+. As a multi-ethnic queer woman of color Lani is passionate about sharing points of view from those underrepresented and cares deeply for movements that work to ensure that all are heard. 

Mera Burton joined the CAC in 2021. She holds a master's in STEM Education from Santa Clara University and enjoys engaging with people from diverse backgrounds. Mera is the Water Education Program Manager for Valley Water and has served as a volunteer naturalist for Walden West and Monterey Outdoor School.

Ed became involved with the Open Space Authority in 2019 as a Land Steward cleaning up Coyote Valley. Born and raised in Sunnyvale, Ed witnessed the landscape change from farms and orchards to the cityscapes of today. He is particularly concerned about the future of Coyote Valley and the last remaining swaths of open space that deserve equal attention.

Joe is a recent retiree from a career with AT&T. He began volunteering with the Open Space Authority in 2022, starting with Trail Patrol, then becoming a Land Steward, Trail Master and Community Outreach volunteer. Joe enjoys informing people what the Open Space Authority has to offer and hopes to continue contributing to the community.