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
4,179 events, each with its sourceAB 2704 Addis Assembly Third Reading
AB 2717 Caloza Assembly Third Reading
AB 2720 Schiavo Assembly Third Reading
AB 2728 Soria Assembly Third Reading
AB 2734 Hart Assembly Third Reading
AB 2739 Soria Assembly Third Reading
AB 2748 Quirk-Silva Assembly Third Reading
AB 2756 Ahrens Assembly Third Reading
AB 2760 Sharp-Collins Assembly Third Reading
AB 2761 Petrie-Norris Assembly Third Reading
AB 2765 Ahrens Assembly Third Reading
AB 2768 Ahrens Assembly Third Reading
AB 2769 Ahrens Assembly Third Reading
AB 2770 Alvarez Assembly Third Reading
AB 2772 Business and Professions Assembly Third Reading By BERMAN
AB 2773 Business and Professions Assembly Third Reading By BERMAN
AB 2774 Business and Professions Assembly Third Reading By BERMAN
AB 2775 Business and Professions Assembly Third Reading By BERMAN
AB 2777 Environmental Safety and Assembly Third Reading By CONNOLLY
AB 2783 Judiciary Third Reading Urgency By KALRA
AB 2785 Elections Assembly Third Reading By PELLERIN
AB 2788 Transportation Assembly Third Reading By WILSON
AB 2790 Communications and Conve Assembly Third Reading By BOERNER
ACA 18 Caloza Assembly Third Reading
AB 1539 Addis Assembly Third Reading
AB 1564 Ahrens Assembly Third Reading
AB 1568 Alanis Assembly Third Reading
AB 1576 Ortega Assembly Third Reading
AB 1577 Bauer-Kahan Assembly Third Reading
AB 1578 Jackson Assembly Third Reading
AB 1582 Ortega Assembly Third Reading
AB 1585 Connolly Assembly Third Reading
AB 1588 Stefani Assembly Third Reading
AB 1591 Michelle Rodriguez Assembly Third Reading
AB 1595 Schultz Assembly Third Reading
AB 1600 Arambula Assembly Third Reading
AB 1604 Stefani Assembly Third Reading
AB 1619 Valencia Assembly Third Reading
AB 1630 Caloza Assembly Third Reading
AB 1640 Stefani Assembly Third Reading
AB 1646 Bryan Assembly Third Reading
AB 1661 Bryan Assembly Third Reading
AB 1662 Wilson Assembly Third Reading
AB 1668 Pellerin Assembly Third Reading
AB 1679 Mark González Assembly Third Reading
AB 1681 Ramos Assembly Third Reading
AB 1685 Lackey Assembly Third Reading
AB 1687 Lackey Assembly Third Reading
AB 1696 Stefani Assembly Third Reading