Welcome to the Palomar Estates West Residents Association (PEWRA) Board Page.
Here you can get to know your Board members and review the Bylaws by which we operate. The Board meets in the Pavilion the first Tuesday of each month at 6.30 PM. There is a General Meeting three times a year; February, June and October, with June being our annual meeting. Click here for PEWRA ByLaws
Rick Towle, President
My wife Cindy and I retired while we were still living in Oregon. We decided we needed to be back living in sunny Southern California. We came to Palomar Estates West in 2021 and have loved living here ever since. We have one son who is still in Oregon but comes to visit often. I worked full time supporting the semiconductor industry while living in Oregon for 28 years. During my time off, my wife and I renovated a 1916 Craftsman Style house in Oregon City, where we raised our son. Here at PEW, Cindy and I are in the Social Connection, I play darts once a week and continue to be amazed at the amount of activities that are available to the residents. I enjoy helping out where I can and look forward to my time on the board.
Jesse Nieto, Vice President
My wife Pat and I retired here after living in San Jose, CA for over 45 years. We chose the San Diego area after having traveled here numerous times for grandchildren’s soccer events, plus the fact our oldest granddaughter lived down here after attending and graduating from SDSU. We wanted to be able to know our great grandchildren as we did our grandchildren in San Jose. We feel fortunate to have found the perfect place to live!!
I spent 4 years in the Navy on the east coast. My career afterwards was spanned over 40 years in sales and marketing working in the industrial chemical industry. Having a sales background follows along with why I enjoy talking to and working with people!! I feel I bring a “can do” attitude to the board. I enjoy putting together the “clean-up” programs for the residents including Dumpster Day, Battery Recycling, Paint Recycle Day and plan for more of these events in the future.
Tom Matthews, Secretary
My wife Lynne and I moved from Murrieta to Palomar Estates West on July 4th 2023. We had been looking at this community for a year and were greeted with quite a celebration. This sense of community is what I would like to continue by serving on the PEW board. I am active on the social committee and represent the dog park. I attend exercise class, shuffleboard, lets dine in/out, and most of the park’s special events. Keeping the current pool hours and rules for children is important to me and was one of the reasons we choose this park. I am a retired computer programmer. I served 4 years on the HOA board of my previous residence. I also served 10 years on the board of trustees and 10 years on the finance committee of my church. I hope we can all help to keep Palomar Estates West at a high level for many years to come. Thank you for your consideration.
Susan Friedman, Treasurer
After living my first 60 years in the NW suburbs of Chicago, I traveled to San Diego in 2016 to be close to my son and family. After 6 months of searching San Diego County, I kept coming back to PEW because I loved the area and how friendly people were when I was just driving through. Prior to retirement in 2016 I worked in Commercial Property Management for Industrial, Office, and Medical buildings. I started as an Assistant Property Manager and progressed to Senior Property Manager over the course of 14 years. I was responsible for budgeting, tracking rent payments, annual reconciliation of tenant payments to property expenses, lease management, and managing our maintenance staff. I was also chosen to assist in the development of Corporate and Departmental processes and proprietary software integration. In my earlier career I was a Data Entry Operator and a Computer Operator (back in the day of mainframes). With all the above, I was proficient in all Microsoft Office Products including Excel as well as many different proprietary software. In my spare time, I enjoy socializing, camping/travel, sports, crochet, jigsaw puzzles, bowling, and spending time training & walking my dog. I’ve been an avid volleyball player since I was in 5th grade through 2017, but have slowed down in the last 7 years. I enjoy working with people and I would like to be an asset to the community in which I live and enjoy so much.
Michael Ach, Director
My name is Michael Ach, and I reside in space 436A. I have lived in Palomar West for over six years. I am retired from U.S. Customs and Border Protection after 26 years as a Branch Chief, where I was responsible for the Enforcement of Counterfeit Electronics entering the country. I supervised a group of 56 people across the country. I have served on several HOA boards at my previous residences. I believe in a commonsense approach to solving problems and that the cheapest fix is usually not the best fix. Palomar West is truly a beautiful community, but things can always be improved upon and need repairs. We can no longer continue to put “Band Aids” on problems and hope they will go away. A prime example is the drain and carwash issues that the park is currently dealing with. The board must be advised, I believe when these problems arise immediately. The board should take an active role in what the repair of these problems and who will be performing the repair. We can’t expect the Palomar Maintenance Crew to be able to fix every problem that arises.
Malia Campbell, Director
Moving to Palomar Estates West almost five years ago was the best decision we could have made for our retirement years! A native Southern Californian, I grew up in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County and loved being an original “Valley Girl.” After graduating from California State University, Northridge, my early career B.C. (Before Children) years found me in the entertainment industry in Human Resources at Capitol Records in Hollywood and then at NBC-Burbank. My husband, Pat, and I married 40 years ago and moved to the Santa Clarita Valley to begin our family. We have two beautiful daughters and one handsome son. Wanting to spend more time as a mom, and less in the corporate world, I began working for our local church and started a new career in business and facilities operations. I became a civic activist in Santa Clarita when the City Council decided that unbridled mass construction, arbitrarily changing zoning codes, was the goal for the valley. I led a group of 400 households, along with the State Attorney General’s office, Army Corps of Engineers, and Sierra Club to fight, and win, a battle against City Hall’s zoning mismanagement. The City Council was impressed with our win, and to keep me quiet regarding future development proposals, appointed me to the city’s Transportation Committee – planning new trails and transit arteries throughout the valley.
My husband’s job led up to move to Oceanside in 1995, and we fell in love with the San Diego area. I continued working in church/parochial school operations and management along with new home construction office management for the next 27 years. After the last child moved out of the 4-bedroom, 3-bath house in Oceanside, in 2021, and even though we truly love our children, we decided to down-size so that no one could move back home! We enjoy being empty nesters! PEW became our new favorite place where we could meet new neighbors and friends and enjoy many of the activities our Social Connection organizes. I have signed on to become a Director on the PEWRA board to help the community promote everything that is wonderful about our park and identify needs and improvement opportunities to better PEW for all residents.
Dawn Miller, Director
Dawn is a native San Diegan, born at Mercy Hospital, and is proud to call San Diego home once again after spending 20 years in Northern California as a ranch owner and equestrian. She currently works in Emergency Medical Services, where she values teamwork, service, and building strong connections within the community. Her background in education and culinary arts reflects her lifelong love of learning, creativity, and bringing people together. Dawn enjoys a 70s-inspired, garden-centered lifestyle and spends her free time practicing yoga, baking, making soap, gardening, and enjoying movies with loved ones. A former surfer, she has always felt a deep connection to the Southern California lifestyle and community. She is honored to serve on the Volunteer Board of Directors and looks forward to supporting a welcoming, well-cared-for, and connected community.