ORANGE, Calif. (December 9, 2025) — CalOptima Health’s Board of Directors has elected its leadership for a one-year term beginning January 1, 2026. Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento, who joined the Board in March 2023 and currently serves as Vice Chair, has been elected Chair. Member Representative Maura Byron, who has served on the Board since December 2023, has been elected Vice Chair.
CalOptima Health is Orange County’s single largest health plan, serving nearly 900,000 low-income children, families, seniors and people with disabilities through Medi-Cal and Medicare, with an annual budget of $4.7 billion.
“I am honored to serve as Chair and help guide CalOptima Health,” Supervisor Sarmiento said. “My focus is on ensuring the plan delivers the same high-quality care as a private health plan, protecting access for our members and prioritizing the well-being of the more than one in four Orange County residents who rely on us. I look forward to working closely with Vice Chair Byron and the entire Board as we continue advancing housing and homelessness initiatives, and supporting our community-based programs and providers.”
Supervisor Sarmiento was elected to the Orange County Board of Supervisors in November 2022. He represents the Second District — home to 42% of CalOptima Health’s members — which includes Santa Ana and portions of Garden Grove, Tustin, Orange and Anaheim. Prior to serving on the Board, he represented the Santa Ana community for more than a decade as a council member from 2008–2020 and as mayor from 2020–2022. Supervisor Sarmiento holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from UC Berkeley and a Juris Doctor degree from the UCLA School of Law.
Byron’s election to Vice Chair represents the first time that the Board’s Member Representative has taken on a leadership role since the inception of the seat more than a decade ago in January 2012. “As a mother of a daughter with complex medical needs, serving as the Member Representative has been incredibly meaningful to me,” Byron said. “My husband and I navigate the health care system every day alongside our daughter, and that lived experience shapes my commitment to this work. In my new role as Vice Chair, I look forward to further elevating the voices of our members, strengthening CalOptima Health’s mission, and working collaboratively with fellow Board members, staff and community partners to ensure that every member, especially those with the most complicated needs, receives compassionate, coordinated care. I am deeply grateful for the trust placed in me and remain committed to serving with integrity, empathy and purpose.”
Byron is the Executive Director of Family Support Network, which offers resources for families and children with social, emotional, intellectual and physical needs so they can reach their full potential. In addition, she has many years of experience working with CalOptima Health through leadership roles on the Member Advisory Committee and Whole-Child Model Family Advisory Committee.