PEERMail

Senior Counsel

Jeff serves as Senior Counsel to PEER, where he specializes in civil service, scientific integrity, and whistleblower protection issues. Jeff was PEER’s Executive Director from 1997 to 2019 and its Pacific Director from 2019 to 2025. Previously, he was the Policy Director and a staff attorney at the Government Accountability Project, representing whistleblowers from both the public and private sectors. Before coming to DC, Jeff worked in California state government for 17 years, mostly in the State Legislature as counsel to various committees where he drafted hundreds of laws on topics ranging from energy conservation to the rights of employed inventors. Jeff served stints as a deputy district attorney and an appellate court clerk. He is a graduate of the California Correctional Officers Academy.

PEERMail: Trump’s Tree Huggers

by Jeff Ruch | February 18, 2020
Administrator Wheeler plays up a false facade of environmental commitments in op-ed entitled “One Trillion Trees Initiative will build on President Donald Trump’s commitment ...

PEERMail: The Worst One Yet

by Tim Whitehouse | January 30, 2020
Of the estimated 95 Trump environmental rollbacks, one of the most dangerous is the aim to gut the Clean Water Act, threatening water security and drinking water quality ...

PEERMail: Exploding in a Neighborhood Near You

by Tim Whitehouse | January 16, 2020
America's industrial infrastructure suffers from aging pipes prone to corrosive leaks leading to ignition that have led to near-catastrophic accidents ...

PEERMail: PEER in Review 2019

by Tim Whitehouse | December 30, 2019
With 2019 almost over, we wanted to share some of the things we are most proud of and thank you for all the support you have given us the past year. We couldn’t have done any of it without you. Many of the best things we do at PEER, we cannot talk about. Working behind ...

PEERMail: Bureaucratic High Crimes and Misdemeanors

by Tim Whitehouse | December 16, 2019
While the House wrestles with impeachment, executive branch agencies are daily flouting the law – usually under orders from political appointees – with little accountability and even less consequence. Consider some recent examples with which PEER is currently wrestling – Senior ...

PEERMail: Civil Service Crucible

by Tim Whitehouse | December 2, 2019
The House impeachment hearings showcased our federal civil service as a true national asset. Conscientious, knowledgeable, and highly professional, the witnesses exhibited the best qualities of public service, amidst pointed, sometimes vicious, political pushback. These qualities are not ...