Jason Retterer has advised and advises private property owners, land developers, builders, resorts and hotels, school districts, and municipal/public clients on a broad range of legal issues related to the following areas: compliance with land use, general plan and zoning matters; environmental laws such as the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), water quality laws, air quality laws, and federal and state hazardous waste laws; subdivision map act; annexations; Brown Act; Political Reform Act; and Public Records Act. Jason regularly appears before administrative decision-making bodies on behalf of the firm’s clients and has defended administrative approvals in the trial court and on appeal.

Prior to joining JRG Attorneys at Law, Jason worked at Woodruff, Spradlin & Smart (WSS), one of the premiere municipal law firms in Costa Mesa, CA for seven years. Jason was initially hired in 2001 to serve as special CEQA and land use counsel to the Los Angeles Unified School District on its new school construction program, but his role quickly expanded and he ultimately served as CEQA, land use, and environmental counsel for all of the firm’s public agency clients, including advising the Orange County Sanitation District and the Orange County Transportation Authority on implementation on long-range capital improvement projects. Since Jason began practicing law in 1999, he has developed unique expertise in the procedural and substantive requirements of CEQA.

Jason previously served as the Assistant City Attorney for San Juan Capistrano and Deputy City Attorney for the other city clients of WSS. In that role, he has sat with and advised City Councils, Planning Commissions, and management and staff on land use, environmental, CEQA, and municipal law issues. Jason has also served as special counsel to the City of Palm Springs and City of Fullerton to advise these cities on CEQA compliance issues relating to controversial development projects.

Prior to practicing law, Jason spent two years as a land use planning consultant with the land use planning firm T&B Planning Consultants, where Jason advised builders, land developers, property owners, and local agencies on land entitlement procedures in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, and Riverside Counties. As a project manager, Jason assembled and managed project teams consisting of engineers, architects, and environmental consultants. He also drafted and processed planning and CEQA documents, including initial studies, negative declarations, and EIRs.

Jason served as Team Captain for the American Cancer Society, Salinas Relay for Life, in 2010 and 2011.

In his spare time, he enjoys skiing, soccer, USC athletics, and spending time with his wife and two daughters, Sydney and Morgan.

Education

• JD, California Western School of Law, 1997
• BA, Political Science, University of Southern California, 1993

Practice Areas

• Coastal Law
• Environmental Law
• Municipal/Public Law
• Planning and Zoning
• Subdivision Map Act
• Land Use Litigation

Bar & Court Admissions

• California, 1998
• Central District of California

Publications

• Editor, California Municipal Law Handbook (2003) California Environmental Quality Act
• Ramped Up Regulation of Agricultural Runoff
  Coastal Grower, Summer 2010
• Balancing Renewable Energy with Preserving Agricultural Land
  Coastal Grower, Spring 2011
• California’s Ongoing Need To Balance the Need for Renewable Energy Projects
  Coastal Grower, Winter 2011/2012
• Balancing Renewable Energy With Preserving Agricultural Land
  Coastal Grower, Winter 2011/2012
• California Fish & Game Code Violations for Routine Maintenance of Agricultural Ditches
  Coastal Grower, Spring, 2012
• New Legislation provides Greater Access to Water Board Members
  Coastal Grower, Spring 2013
• Cancellation of Williamson Act Contracts for Solar Farms
  Coastal Grower, Winter 2013/2014