Despite repeated public records requests, Mariposa County has refused to provide certain details about its new development services director’s resume, including prior work experience, educational background, licenses and certifications.
Greg Thompson was hired on April 6 and formally approved by the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors on April 7.
Nine days later, on April 16, the county issued a press release about Thompson’s hiring that was short on details even as it touted Thompson’s “37 years of experience in land use, planning, infrastructure and municipal administration.”
Thompson, 62, is making $166,235.
Despite the breadth of experience, the press release only mentions his previous employer, the city of Atwater, where Thompson most recently served as community development director and deputy city manager.
As the Mariposa Gazette previously reported, Thompson was fired from the city of Atwater on March 21, 2025, just a few weeks after a local taco truck owner, Rudy Ybarra, provided city officials with a dozen video clips purportedly showing Thompson going to restaurants and bars during the workday and leaving those establishments in a county owned vehicle.
Thompson has declined to comment on the videos or what role they played in his termination in Atwater.
The Mariposa Gazette made a public records request on April 2 for details about Thompson’s resume and background under the California Public Records Act (CPRA).
Under CPRA, certain information about a new hire is protected from disclosure under a personal privacy exemption, that would include such things as personal contact numbers, medical and Social Security information.
But the information the Mariposa Gazette seeks is more gen- eral in nature, and would be standard with any resume. As a more senior hire for Mariposa County, the Gazette has argued that information should be public.
Mariposa County has failed to cite a statute or any case law in denying the request, only saying it considers such records “personnel documents” that are not public.
The California Court of Appeals ruled in 1982 that, “information as to the education, training, experience, awards, previous positions and publications of the (employee)… is relatively innocuous and implicates no applicable privacy or public policy exemption.”
Mariposa County supervisors have said Thompson came highly recommended for the job, and yet the county says there are no public letters of recommendation.
According to the job posting for the development services director’s position, a bachelors degree was required for the position and a master’s degree in public administration, management or related field is preferred.
Three certifications were also preferred for the position, including a certificate from the Council of American Building Professionals (CABO), Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) and certification by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).
Whether Thompson has the preferred education or certifications is unknown.
There were 24 applicants for the position and 18 were interviewed by County Administrative Officer Joe Lynch. Five candidates were interviewed by the board of supervisors.
The hiring process took more than a year. A previous candidate accepted the job at the end of 2025, but changed his mind and declined the offer.
Thompson’s position as development services director is a new one for Mariposa County, part of a consolidation of the planning and building departments under the umbrella of a Development Services Department.
“Thompson’s leadership will be key to implementing this vision, strengthening collaboration across departments and agencies while advancing projects that ref lect community priorities,” the county’s press release said.
Thompson is the subject of two active lawsuits from developers who claim that as community development director in Atwater, Thompson tried to derail their projects due to conflicts of interest with his own consulting firm and an engineering firm he once worked for.
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