San Joaquin Board of Supervisors appoints two new Commissioners for Health Plan of San Joaquin (HPSJ) governing board

03/11/2016

(French Camp, CA) – San Joaquin County Director of Health Care Services Greg Diederich – chair of the San Joaquin Health Commission – has announced that the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors has formally appointed two new members of the Health Commission, the governing board of Health Plan of San Joaquin (HPSJ).  These new members are:
• San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors Chairman Moses Zapien, District 3
• San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors Member Carlos Villapudua, District 1

“The public servants, community representatives, and local physicians who come together and serve on the Commission are part of our strength,” said Diederich.  “Having Moses Zapien and Carlos Villapudua, who both are county supervisors and very active at the local level, join the governing board provides even more capacity for us to listen to our communities and our members.  This is how the Commission can provide strong oversight so that we can continue strengthening the program services that are the foremost HPSJ priority,” added Diederich.
Zapien, the son of Mexican immigrants, was born and raised in Stockton, where he earned his law degree from Laurence Drivon School of Law (Humphreys College).  Prior to joining the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors, he served on the Stockton City Council where he worked to help the city emerge from municipal bankruptcy.  While chair of the council’s Legislation Committee, he spearheaded important government reforms to ensure the city’s responsiveness to the needs of residents.  Zapien is active in the community and serves on a number of nonprofit boards, including the Library and Literacy Foundation of San Joaquin County, and Beyond Our Gates Community Council, an advisory body of the University of the Pacific focused on increasing the number of local children who are strong readers by the time they leave third grade.

Villapudua, a native Californian, earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from California State University Sacramento.  A member of the San Joaquin Board of Supervisors since 2009, his experiences have included 5-1/2 years as a community social service director for San Joaquin County’s Human Service Agency, and as the first coordinator who helped start the statewide Health Families Program for low-cost insurance.  He remains active in the community as a volunteer, having served as chairman of the Coalition of the Mexican-American organizations’ Cinco de Mayo Parade, and as a founder of the “Child’s Smile” Celebrity Golf Tournament which raises funds to purchase toys for needy local children during the holiday season.