Jeff Gonzalez lives in Indio, the home base for a public life that has moved through the Marine Corps, two churches and two campaigns for the state Assembly. A Republican, he won office in 2024 by defeating Coachella School Board Trustee Joey Acuña and flipping a majority Latino district. It was his second try: six years earlier, he had challenged incumbent Democrat Eduardo Garcia and lost by a wide margin. Gonzalez spent two decades in the Marines and became a pastor after retiring. He and his wife, Christine, have four children, including a son diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
THE JOB BEFORE THE JOB
Gonzalez enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at 19. His service included deployments to combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as service at U.S. embassies in Honduras and the Czech Republic. He retired after two decades.
Gonzalez then became a pastor at Southwest Church in Indian Wells and Saddleback Church in Orange County. Those posts followed a military career that included the combat-zone deployments and service at the two U.S. embassies.
Gonzalez earned a bachelor’s degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management from National University, followed by a Master of Science in organizational leadership from the same university. His record includes military service, church work and studies in emergency management and organizational leadership.
THE PATH TO OFFICE
Gonzalez first sought a seat in the California State Assembly in 2018, running in the 56th District against Eduardo Garcia. Garcia was an incumbent Democrat, and Gonzalez lost by a wide margin.
He ran again in 2024, after Garcia retired. This time the general-election opponent was Joey Acuña, a trustee on the Coachella School Board. Gonzalez defeated him. A Republican, Gonzalez flipped a majority Latino district.
The six years between Gonzalez’s two Assembly races separate a wide-margin loss from a winning campaign. In 2018, he faced an incumbent assemblymember; in 2024, after Garcia retired, he faced a school board trustee. Gonzalez returned to the same level of office and won on the second attempt.
WHAT TO KNOW
Gonzalez’s public record includes 20 years in the Marines, pastoral work at Southwest Church and Saddleback Church, a wide-margin defeat in the 2018 Assembly race and a successful return in 2024.
The majority Latino 36th District includes eastern Riverside County and Imperial County in the Low Desert of southeastern California. Gonzalez, a Republican, flipped the district in 2024.
Gonzalez and his wife, Christine, have four children. One is an adult son diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
- State Assembly · Assembly District 36 · 2024–present
Jeff Gonzalez lives in Indio, the home base for a public life that has moved through the Marine Corps, two churches and two campaigns for the state Assembly. A Republican, he won office in 2024 by defeating Coachella School Board Trustee Joey Acuña and flipping a majority Latino district. It was his second try: six years earlier, he had challenged incumbent Democrat Eduardo Garcia and lost by a wide margin. Gonzalez spent two decades in the Marines and became a pastor after retiring. He and his wife, Christine, have four children, including a son diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
THE JOB BEFORE THE JOB
Gonzalez enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at 19. His service included deployments to combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as service at U.S. embassies in Honduras and the Czech Republic. He retired after two decades.
Gonzalez then became a pastor at Southwest Church in Indian Wells and Saddleback Church in Orange County. Those posts followed a military career that included the combat-zone deployments and service at the two U.S. embassies.
Gonzalez earned a bachelor’s degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management from National University, followed by a Master of Science in organizational leadership from the same university. His record includes military service, church work and studies in emergency management and organizational leadership.
THE PATH TO OFFICE
Gonzalez first sought a seat in the California State Assembly in 2018, running in the 56th District against Eduardo Garcia. Garcia was an incumbent Democrat, and Gonzalez lost by a wide margin.
He ran again in 2024, after Garcia retired. This time the general-election opponent was Joey Acuña, a trustee on the Coachella School Board. Gonzalez defeated him. A Republican, Gonzalez flipped a majority Latino district.
The six years between Gonzalez’s two Assembly races separate a wide-margin loss from a winning campaign. In 2018, he faced an incumbent assemblymember; in 2024, after Garcia retired, he faced a school board trustee. Gonzalez returned to the same level of office and won on the second attempt.
WHAT TO KNOW
Gonzalez’s public record includes 20 years in the Marines, pastoral work at Southwest Church and Saddleback Church, a wide-margin defeat in the 2018 Assembly race and a successful return in 2024.
The majority Latino 36th District includes eastern Riverside County and Imperial County in the Low Desert of southeastern California. Gonzalez, a Republican, flipped the district in 2024.
Gonzalez and his wife, Christine, have four children. One is an adult son diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
The record
3,711 events, each with its sourceAB 1556 Haney Assembly Third Reading
AB 1609 Zbur Assembly Third Reading
AB 1603 Schultz Assembly Third Reading
AB 1612 Alanis Assembly Third Reading
AB 1613 Wilson Assembly Third Reading
AB 1615 Nguyen Assembly Third Reading
AB 1627 Ávila Farías Assembly Third Reading
AB 1633 Haney Assembly Third Reading
AB 1642 Harabedian Assembly Third Reading
AB 1644 Muratsuchi Assembly Third Reading
AB 1650 Caloza Assembly Third Reading
AB 1655 Bryan Assembly Third Reading
AB 1666 Rogers Assembly Third Reading
AB 1675 Lee Assembly Third Reading
AB 1682 Hart Assembly Third Reading
AB 1710 Carrillo Assembly Third Reading
AB 1729 Lee Third Reading Urgency
AB 1732 Alvarez Assembly Third Reading
AB 1740 Zbur Assembly Third Reading
AB 1749 Dixon Assembly Third Reading
AB 1761 Rogers Assembly Third Reading
AB 1770 Garcia Assembly Third Reading
AB 1772 Papan Assembly Third Reading
AB 1776 Aguiar-Curry Assembly Third Reading
AB 1798 Wilson Assembly Third Reading
AB 1806 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 1807 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 1821 Pacheco Assembly Third Reading
AB 1826 Lackey Assembly Third Reading
AB 1830 Petrie-Norris Assembly Third Reading
AB 1836 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 1851 Gipson Assembly Third Reading
AB 1854 Krell Assembly Third Reading
AB 1859 Ortega Assembly Third Reading
AB 1881 Ramos Assembly Third Reading
AB 1883 Bryan Assembly Third Reading
AB 1887 Zbur Assembly Third Reading
AB 1896 Mark González Assembly Third Reading
AB 1905 Schultz Assembly Third Reading
AB 1915 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 1919 Pellerin Third Reading Urgency
AB 1921 Ward Assembly Third Reading
AB 1923 Soria Third Reading Urgency
AB 1924 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 1929 Ortega Assembly Third Reading
AB 1930 Zbur Assembly Third Reading
AB 2033 Papan Assembly Third Reading
AB 1994 Alvarez Assembly Third Reading
AB 2020 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 2026 Aguiar-Curry Assembly Third Reading