Clerk Spotlight: Mendocino County, CA

Behind every successful government is a clerk keeping it all together through technology and cross-department collaboration.

Atlas Pearson is not your typical county clerk. He started working for Mendocino County as a custodian when he was just 19 years old. After holding several positions within the county, he was encouraged to apply for the role of deputy clerk by several members of his family, three of whom also happened to work for the county. Now, at 22, Atlas is using his digital savvy and youthful wisdom to implement Granicus’ modern civic engagement platform in his rural community. Mendocino County is an expansive, rural county in Northern California, covering almost 4,000 square miles. Agriculture is the primary industry, with wine grapes and cannabis as the most prominent crops. During our clerk spotlight, Atlas shared what intrigued him about the deputy clerk role and detailed how he and his team addressed the challenges brought on by COVID-19. He also explained the arsenal of secure, cloud-based technology solutions he uses to make his job easier. Finally, Atlas provided insights into how those solutions connect his office to the good people of Mendocino County, even in areas that lack broadband internet access.

“The Boards and Commissions tool has probably saved my life in more ways than one. If that hadn’t been here when I began, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”

— Atlas Pearson, Deputy Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, Mendocino County, CA

Click here to watch the full clerk spotlight.

Municipality: Mendocino County, CA
Population: 87,841
Granicus Solutions: govMeetings, govAccess, govDelivery, govRecords, govService DisclosureDocs, & govService Host Compliance
Website: mendocinocounty.org
Speaker: Atlas Pearson, Deputy Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, Mendocino County, CA