John M. Puente

John M. Puente (born 1971) is a fifth generation Sacramentan currently serving as Vice Chair of the City of Sacramento's Utilities Rate Advisory Commission.^[1] In April 2009, Puente declared his candidacy for Sacramento City Council, District 7 seat in the 2010 election.

Early life and education

Puente was raised by his grandparents, Jack and Elaine Ring, on Ring Drive in the south Sacramento area. John also lived in Oak Park and near Executive Airport.

He graduated from Christian Brothers High School in 1989 and was granted a full scholarship to Saint Mary's College of California (Moraga) where he graduated with a B.A. in liberal arts in 1993. While at St. Mary's, Puente was elected student body vice president and was president of the St. Mary's Young Democrats. John also spent time abroad at Keble College, Oxford University. After college, he attended Gonzaga University School of Law where he received his J.D., Cum Laude, in 1996.

Community Advocacy

Puente presently resides in Sacramento’s Greenhaven-Pocket neighborhood with his wife Denise. After moving to the neighborhood, John worked with City Councilman Robbie Waters^[2] to found the Pocket Coalition,^[3] a coalition of neighborhood associations, neighborhood watch groups, businesses, and educators. The Pocket Coalitions began meeting in November 2008.

Before moving to the Pocket, John served as a board member of the Tahoe Park Neighborhood Association.

Professional career

Throughout his career, Puente has worked on California health policy. Early on, Puente was awarded an Executive Fellowship with the Office of Governor Pete Wilson,^[4] and was later hired on as General Counsel for the Medical Board of California. Puente later served as Deputy Director^[5] at the California Department of Managed Health Care, the state's HMO health insurance regulator.

In the private sector, Puente continued his health policy career as Secretary for Legal and Regulatory Affairs at the California Association of Health Plans,^[6] and currently serves as Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Molina Healthcare,^[7] a for-profit HMO that participates in government-sponsored health care programs.

Notably, while at the California Association of Health Plans, Puente worked with his former employers (the DMHC), consumer groups, and HMO’s to help health plans comply with a new state law that required them to provide language assistance to their members. Passed in 2003, SB 853 mandated all HMOs in California to ensure that their members have access to interpreters and translated versions of medical materials available in their primary language.^[8]

Puente is also an active member of the American Health Lawyers Association^[9] and was recently elected as a Board Member at Large of the California Society for Healthcare Attorneys.^[10]

Political Activity

John Puente is a member of the Stonewall Democrats of Sacramento, the Greenhaven-Pocket Rotary and has filed his Statement of Intention to run for City Council, District 7 in 2010.

References

1. "Utilities Rate Advisory Commission Agenda" (PDF). City of Sacramento. 4 March 2009. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
2. "Office of the Mayor and City Council". City of Sacramento.
3. "Pocket Coalition Meeting" (PDF). City of Sacramento. 19 February 2009. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
4. "Executive Fellow Profile: John M. Puente" (PDF). Californiana. 14 (2): 7. 2004. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
5. Robertson, Kathy (2 December 2008). "Deputy named for managed care department". Sacramento Business Journal. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
6. "California Association of Health Plans". Retrieved 24 August 2013.
7. "Molina Healthcare". Retrieved 24 August 2013.
8. Kaiser Network article
9. "American Health Lawyers Association". Retrieved 24 August 2013.
10. "California Society for Healthcare Attorneys". Retrieved 24 August 2013.