MENDOCINO CO., 6/11/25 — Tekla Broz is no stranger to politics. Raised by a “fervent Democrat” mother, she herself is a lifelong Democrat and organizer who was an anti-war marcher and Black Student Union strike participant in San Francisco in the 1970’s before moving up to Mendocino County in the 80’s.
This year, continuing her political journey, Broz was elected to the position of chair of the central committee of the Mendocino County Democratic Party. It is her third year as a party member –– she formerly served as vice chair in 2024, and as a committee member in 2023.
The central committee of the Mendocino County Democratic Party functions as a hub for the three Democratic clubs that exist in the county (the Inland Mendocino Democratic Club, Coast Democratic Club of Mendocino County and the We Are Democracy Coalition). Broz has been a resident of Covelo, in Mendocino County’s 3rd District, since 1988.
In an interview last week, Broz acknowledged the current struggles of the Democratic Party nationally, stating that the party needs to do a better job explaining what it stands for, including trumpeting its achievements.
“I think we need to be more clear about our agenda, what we stand for, what we get done, when we’re in office.” said Broz, a retired teacher from the Round Valley Unified School District. “We are unreservedly liberal and progressive, and we stand for diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are the party of success for all. That includes all. That includes Republicans. That includes the country. We want to make things easier for the working class, for the middle class. We want to protect the vulnerable. And our accomplishments show this. It’s such a long list that it’s difficult to talk about. And Democrats are terrible at talking about it, and that’s where we need to improve.”
The Mendocino County Democratic Party hopes to showcase just such plans for increased communication at the upcoming “No Kings” rally hosted by the group Indivisible, which will take place locally from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on June 14 in front of the courthouse in Ukiah. Indivisible describes itself as a grassroots movement of nationwide local groups, operating with the goal of electing progressive leaders, rebuilding democracy and defeating President Donald Trump’s agenda. The party also will be registering voters at the event — part of a month-long registration drive, particularly aimed at getting into the far reaches of the county to register and educate younger and first-time voters.
In November 2026, Californians will elect a new governor to replace Gavin Newsom, who is termed out. Although many potential candidates have yet to declare, Broz isn’t waiting to announce whom she supports: former State Controller Betty Yee.
“I’m personally very in favor of Betty Yee. I think that she will be dynamic and competent, I think she will be outspoken, but she will also be careful. And I think that she will take into account that California is not made up of just Democrats; that we are a mixed bag of all different kinds of people that need to be paid attention to, including in our rural areas.”
As for the party’s priorities between now and the next election cycle, Broz stressed educating voters about the party’s positions.
“We need to do our outreach. We need to spotlight issues that affect all of us, economic issues, we want an uplifting of our communities from the bottom up, not from the top down. We want a fair tax system that does not just reward monied interests and corporate interests, but we want to also protect our businesses and make sure that they thrive.”
If Broz recognizes the need for Democrats to improve their messaging, she’s by no means discouraged. She came away from the May 30 state Democratic Convention in Anaheim fired up by the energy she found.
“I went to Anaheim, and I’m telling you, this is a diverse and energized group of people that want to win,” she said. “The party has a lot of stars. We have a lot of young people and we need to draw on the energy and the passion that our young people have. And we need to use the experience of our older people too. I think both things are always important.
“Democrats are not done,” she said. “We’re not down and out by any means.”