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 572 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1152 Patterson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1143 Bennett Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 352 Reyes Senate Third Reading By BRYAN
AB 1127 GABRIEL Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1108 Hart Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1098 Fong Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1084 Zbur Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1079 Ávila Farías Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 495 Allen Senate Third Reading By Harabedian
AB 1071 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1043 WICKS Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1036 Schultz Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 295 Hurtado Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
AB 486 Lackey Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 985 Schiavo Concurrence - Urgency Added
AB 484 Dixon Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 975 Gallagher Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 963 Petrie-Norris Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 962 Hoover Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 226 CALDERON Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 959 Hadwick Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 943 Michelle Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 940 WICKS Concurrence in Senate Amendments
With recommendation: That Senate amendments be concurred in
AB 451 Petrie-Norris Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 896 Elhawary Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 271 Reyes Senate Third Reading By Fong
AB 445 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 613 Stern Senate Third Reading By Zbur
SB 787 McNerney Senate Third Reading By Petrie-Norris
AB 853 Wicks Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 245 Reyes Senate Third Reading By Bryan
AB 849 Soria Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 614 Stern Senate Third Reading By Petrie-Norris
SB 461 Padilla Senate Third Reading By Blanca Rubio
AB 841 Patel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 831 Valencia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 629 Durazo Senate Third Reading By Zbur
AB 56 Bauer-Kahan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 553 Cortese Senate Third Reading By Sharp-Collins
AB 799 Celeste Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 400 Pacheco Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 451 Archuleta Senate Third Reading By AHRENS
AB 779 Lackey Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 394 Wilson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 770 Mark González Concurrence - Urgency Added
SB 744 Cabaldon Senate Third Reading By Bryan
AB 726 Ávila Farías Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 541 Becker Senate Third Reading By Schultz