Commentary

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.

COMMENTARY | Trump’s First Months in Office: PEER’s Response

by Tim Whitehouse | June 11, 2025
PEER is working to protecting the integrity of the civil service and represent government employees under attack by the Trump administration ...

COMMENTARY | The Time Has Come to Establish the International Arctic Ocean Sanctuary

by Guest Contributor | June 8, 2025
On World Ocean Day, the Arctic Ocean ecological crisis needs to be top of the list for attention by governments ...

COMMENTARY | House Budget Bill is a Disaster for Public Employees and the Environment

by Tim Whitehouse | May 23, 2025
PEER condemns the budget reconciliation bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives as disastrous for our country’s fiscal health and our public lands, wildlife, and environmental protections ...

COMMENTARY | EPA’s Disgraceful Forever Chemicals Retreat

by Kyla Bennett | May 22, 2025
EPA’s retreat on PFAS not only betrays the agency’s mission but makes a mockery of the Trump Administration’s self-proclaimed pledge to Make America Healthy Again ...

COMMENTARY | Pesticides on Public Lands: A Short-Term Solution with Long-Term Harm

by Chandra Rosenthal | May 20, 2025
Any use of pesticides on public lands must be carefully weighed against the many risks they pose to human health, soil health, native biodiversity, wildlife, and aquatic ecosystems ...

COMMENTARY | Rebalancing Checks and Balances: How to Curb Executive Abuse

by Jeff Ruch | April 25, 2025
President Trump has conclusively demonstrated that the executive branch cannot be trusted to police itself in following the law ...
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