I dismissed my attorney ...how do I get my retainer back? He ignored my request for a detailed statement and didn't even reply.

You need to officially fire him and request a refund of your retainer. You need to tell the attorney to stop working on the case and not bill you for any further time.

A meaningful answer would be easier to provide if you told us what kind of case you hired him on, what you paid and whether you had a written fee agreement. I can not offer any opinion on whether he lived up to his obligations, since I have not seen the fee agreement and know nothing about the case. But if you do not want to complain to the State Bar, and he won't negotiate with you, your only avenue to recover any part of the retainer is to sue him in small claims court. The max you can recover there is $7500, no matter what he owes you, if anything. Unless you paid him $50,000, I doubt most lawyers would get involved in trying to recover any part of the retainer, and I doubt that you did.

If you do plan to pursue the Small Claims route, you would do well to send him a written demand for a specific amount of money, and let him know that if he does not, you intend to sue in Small Claims.

That being said, I have a fear that you might have had unrealistic expectations. I say that because you expected him to give you "vehement" representation. No professional lawyer does that. He proceeds by the rules and follows the law. Maybe you misunderstood what a lawyer is supposed to do, or what he CAN do? It might be wise to talk to another lawyer in some detail about the case and see if you got a raw deal or whether he just did what he was supposed to do. You might be wrong about him.

Instead of filing a lawsuit, you may be able to resolve the situation through arbitration.

If a client requests arbitration, the attorney must participate.

A link to the State Bar's website appears below the link to my personal website.

Bob Marshall
Chico, CA

Since you live in the San Diego area it is probably OK for you to contact either of these two programs and ask them to help you. They have low costs programs and even have "fee waivers" if you don't have the funds to pay for the program. They can usuall shift the fees to the lawyers if you prevail--but this is not done until the end of the process.
Many times a lawyer will wake up and respond once a local bar program is involved.
Do not be concerned about complaining to a bar program. That is what they are set up to handle.
Here are the two local programs to consider:

SAN DIEGO COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION
Fee Arbitration Program Administrator
San Diego County Bar Association
1333 Seventh Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101-4309
619-231-0781
http://www.sdcba.org

Filing Jurisdiction
Attorney's office in county or, substantial services rendered in county. Fee Waiver program. Will arbitrate with incarcerated clients. A voluntary Fee Mediation program is offered.

Filing Fee
5% of amount in dispute with a $75 minimum and $5,000 maximum.

Panel Size
1 if the dispute is less than $25,000
3 for disputes of $25,000 or more

BAR ASSOCIATION OF NORTHERN SAN DIEGO COUNTY
Fee Arbitration Program Administrator
Bar Association of Northern San Diego County
P.O. Box 2381
Vista, CA 92085
Voice: 760-758-5833

Filing Jurisdiction
Attorney is a member or has office in North County Judicial District, or client resides in County and parties agree to binding arbitration. Offering fee dispute mediation.

Filing Fee
4% of amount in dispute $25 minimum, $2,000 maximum-

Panel Size
1 for $10,000 or less
3 for over $10,000

Good luck on this.