Betty Yee to speak at Women's History Gala

Former California State Controller Betty Yee will be the guest speaker at the 40th Annual Women's History Gala Sunday at the SPACE Theater, 508 W. Perkins St. in Ukiah. The doors for the March 3 event will open at noon, and the program will begin at 1 p.m.

Yee served as California State Controller from 2015 to 2023, following two terms in the California Board of Equalization. She won her 2018 re-election to controller with more votes than any candidate nationwide that year.

As controller, Yee managed an $800 billion portfolio. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology and a Master's in Public Administration, and serves on boards of directors for Golden Gate University, the College Futures Foundation, and the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies.

Yee was a Fall 2023 Fellow with the University of Southern California Dornsife Center where she led a discussion and study group on governance and democracy. She serves as vicechair of the California Democratic Party and will be a candidate for governor in 2026.

Troyle Tognoli, Xochilt Morales de Martinez, Loreto Rojas and Diana Coryatt will be honored as women who lived the theme of Advocating for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Dance by SPACE's Hip Hop Group, music by Ukiah High School Ensemble and poetry by Blake More and Michele Regelbruggs will round out the program.

For the past 40 years, the Mendocino Women's Political Coalition has sponsored this event with current cosponsors including the Ukiah chapter of the American Association of University Women and the Cloud Forest Institute.