TINA MEZA - Councilwoman

Tina Meza began serving as a Jamul Indian Village Tribal Councilmember in 2021.  For more than a decade, Ms. Meza has worked in numerous capacities as an advocate for the Tribe’s culture, preservation, and legacy.

Ms. Meza served for 12 years on the Kumeyaay Cultural Repatriation Committee (KCRC).  The organization was created in 1997 to aid the San Diego area Kumeyaay bands in the repatriation of their ancestors’ remains from institutions and museums for burial.  The KCRC is the only tribal organization in the nation to achieve this goal in a lawsuit against UC Berkeley.  The bones of an ancestor were re-buried in an undisclosed location by an archeologist.

She has also served as a Cultural Monitor for 15 years.  In this capacity, Ms. Meza has represented the Tribe when cultural or ceremonial items were discovered during ground-disturbing activities, such as during excavations, installation of utilities, or construction of roads or buildings.  Ms. Meza worked alongside an archeologist to protect and preserve the important cultural artifacts of the Tribe.  As a Cultural Monitor, Ms. Meza has undergone extensive Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and California Environmental Quality Act training.

Additionally, Ms. Meza served on the Kumeyaay Historic Preservation Committee for ten (10) years.  This organization is dedicated to tracking cultural artifacts, and ensuring they are appropriately handled and preserved.  Moreover, the organization awards funds for scholarships, training, and language education with the goal of preserving the Tribe’s rich cultural heritage.

Ms. Meza also served on the Kumeyaay Diegueno Land Conservancy Committee, which aims to renew ancestral ties to the ocean, the mountains, and the desert through protective land management, cooperative agreements, and education programs.  The organization has been successful in purchasing land for the Kumeyaay tribes in Julian, near the Viejas reservation, and in the desert.

Deeply invested in her community, Ms. Meza frequently serves as a volunteer cook for funerals, anniversary services, and other tribal events.  She is a proud mom of three children, five stepchildren, and has two granddaughters, ages four and two.