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
3,929 events, each with its sourceAB 1641 Jackson Assembly Third Reading
AB 1684 Ward Assembly Third Reading
AB 2238 Blanca Rubio Assembly Third Reading
AB 1918 Dixon Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1803 Lowenthal Assembly Third Reading
AB 2644 Blanca Rubio Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1917 Schultz Assembly Third Reading
AB 2035 Dixon Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2062 Patterson Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1828 Chen Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1785 Hoover Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1860 McKinnor Assembly Third Reading
AB 2178 Quirk-Silva Consent Calendar Second Day
ACR 181 Patel Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2173 Wallis Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
ACR 168 Pacheco Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2439 Blanca Rubio Assembly Third Reading
AB 2148 Muratsuchi Assembly Third Reading
AB 2128 Haney Assembly Third Reading
AB 1647 Bryan Assembly Third Reading
AB 2726 Fong Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
Be adopted as amended, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations]
AB 2011 Hart Assembly Third Reading
AB 1704 Mark González Assembly Third Reading
AB 2559 Ward Assembly Third Reading
AB 2323 McKinnor Assembly Third Reading
AB 2691 Addis Assembly Third Reading
AB 2663 Rogers Third Reading Urgency
AB 2280 Johnson Consent Calendar Second Day
AB 1916 Lee Assembly Third Reading
AB 2731 Addis Assembly Third Reading
AB 1621 Wilson Assembly Third Reading
ACR 126 Tangipa Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
HR 106 Elhawary Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2086 Ellis Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1587 Ta Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 138 Ashby Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2542 Patterson Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2782 Judiciary Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
AB 1982 Lowenthal Assembly Third Reading
AB 1981 Aguiar-Curry Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1736 Pellerin Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2502 Pellerin Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1673 Hadwick Assembly Third Reading
AB 1781 Michelle Rodriguez Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1908 McKinnor Assembly Third Reading
ACR 169 DeMaio Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1760 Arambula Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session