About Jason
Leadership should be about service, not self. I promise that if I am elected, every voice will have a place in our civic dialogue.
Jason grew up in North Carolina and proudly attended public schools from kindergarten through law school. Throughout his childhood, service to the community was a prominent theme in Jason’s family. His grandfather served as a deacon in his community church for more than 40 years. His grandmother was the first woman to run for office in her rural Kentucky county. His mother was an early and outspoken advocate for marriage equality. His dad coached in every sports league Jason joined as a kid, and his stepmom served as a volunteer curator for a local history museum. Following these great role models, Jason has become a life-long community volunteer and leader. He co-founded a non-profit when he was 14 and served on his first Board of Directors at the age of 16.
Jason’s journey in public service continued when he moved to California more than 20 years ago. He was elected to the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council in 2003 and served as its first co-chair. In 2004, Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn appointed Jason to the East Los Angeles Area Planning Commission. In 2006, Jason was appointed to L.A.’s blue-ribbon Neighborhood Council Review Commission and elected its Vice Chair.
Since his son began attending preschool in Pasadena in 2006, Jason has been deeply committed to serving our community. During that time, he served in various volunteer capacities for Pacific Oaks School. After settling here permanently in 2010, Jason joined the board of directors of Young & Healthy, a nonprofit dedicated to providing Pasadena’s uninsured and underserved children with access to high-quality health care at no cost to their families. He served as its president for two years, during which time he oversaw the establishment of a fund to ensure the organization’s long-term fiscal security. Jason was elected to the Vestry of All Saints Church and became its senior lay leader in 2016. In that capacity, he oversaw the parish’s transition from retiring rector Ed Bacon to Mike Kinman. In 2018, Jason joined the board of the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership, which works to advance the economic vitality and quality of life in our region. The same year, he accepted a seat on the board of Planned Parenthood Pasadena San Gabriel Valley, which provides equitable access to sexual and reproductive health care, including trans care.
Jason was appointed to Pasadena’s Historic Preservation Commission in 2017. During his term on the commission, he worked to update the city’s ordinance limiting demolition of historic homes. In 2019, Councilmember Andy Wilson appointed Jason to the city Planning Commission. Jason currently serves as the Vice Chair of both the Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals.
Jason’s professional life has been no less varied. He began his career as a documentary film producer. His award-winning documentary Five Wives, Three Secretaries, and Me was released in theaters in 1999. He transitioned to working in television commercial production in the early 2000s and soon established his own successful business writing creative briefs for directors. Although the work was plentiful and enjoyable, Jason found himself longing for a more challenging occupation. That led to his decision to embark on a career in law.
Jason attended the UCLA School of Law, where he was a Michael T. Masin Scholar, a member of the Law Review, and graduated Order of the Coif, among other honors. He began his legal career as an associate at Latham & Watkins. He was a member of the firm’s Complex Commercial and Securities Litigation departments, where he brought and defended claims on behalf of corporate clients of all sizes, from local non-profits to Fortune 500 companies.
In 2017, Jason joined Pasadena’s historic Hahn & Hahn, the 122-year-old law firm whose name graces the building next door to City Hall. As a partner in the commercial litigation group, Jason helps businesses to resolve complex disputes involving contracts, employment issues, fraud, and trade secret violations. He is the first openly LGBT attorney in the firm’s history.
Jason lives with his husband, Tim, a real estate agent who is just finishing up a Master of Divinity degree in anticipation of ordination as an Episcopal priest. They have two sons, Noah, who is in high school, and Wyatt, who is in elementary school.