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 1988 Pellerin Assembly Third Reading
AB 1991 Aguiar-Curry Assembly Third Reading
AB 1996 Bonta Assembly Third Reading
AB 2002 Solache Assembly Third Reading
AB 2007 Bauer-Kahan Assembly Third Reading
AB 2008 Patel Assembly Third Reading
AB 2010 Soria Assembly Third Reading
AB 2022 Jeff Gonzalez Assembly Third Reading
AB 2030 Lowenthal Assembly Third Reading
AB 2031 Petrie-Norris Consent Calendar Second Day
AB 2039 Zbur Assembly Third Reading
AB 2045 Connolly Assembly Third Reading
AB 2046 Ransom Assembly Third Reading
AB 2060 Muratsuchi Assembly Third Reading
AB 2065 Petrie-Norris Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2066 Celeste Rodriguez Assembly Third Reading By BONTA
AB 2075 Bennett Assembly Third Reading
AB 2076 Lowenthal Assembly Third Reading
AB 2084 Bauer-Kahan Assembly Third Reading
AB 2093 Bauer-Kahan Assembly Third Reading
AB 2103 Irwin Assembly Third Reading
AB 2104 Carrillo Assembly Third Reading
AB 2110 Johnson Assembly Third Reading
AB 2111 Papan Assembly Third Reading
AB 2124 Pacheco Assembly Third Reading
AB 2141 Patterson Assembly Third Reading
AB 2146 Stefani Assembly Third Reading
AB 2164 Bauer-Kahan Assembly Third Reading
AB 2166 Carrillo Assembly Third Reading
AB 2167 Macedo Assembly Third Reading
AB 2172 Gipson Assembly Third Reading
AB 2175 Garcia Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2181 Petrie-Norris Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2182 Irwin Assembly Third Reading
AB 2185 Quirk-Silva Assembly Third Reading
AB 2200 Hart Assembly Third Reading
AB 2219 Schiavo Assembly Third Reading
AB 2298 Irwin Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2324 Jeff Gonzalez Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2350 McKinnor Assembly Third Reading
AB 2390 Schiavo Assembly Third Reading
AB 2429 Blanca Rubio Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2440 Muratsuchi Assembly Third Reading
AB 2480 Ávila Farías Assembly Third Reading
AB 2523 Fong Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2524 Gipson Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2528 Solache Assembly Third Reading
AB 2545 Schiavo Assembly Third Reading
AB 2613 Sharp-Collins Assembly Third Reading
AB 2618 Connolly Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session