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 sourceSB 840 Limón Third Reading Urgency By IRWIN
SB 851 Cervantes Senate Second Reading By Pellerin
SB 861 Business, Professions and Senate Third Reading By FLORA
ACR 107 Bauer-Kahan Consent Calendar Second Day
AB 7 Bryan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 56 Bauer-Kahan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 91 Harabedian Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 144 BUDGET Concurrence in Senate Amendments By GABRIEL
AB 149 BUDGET Concurrence in Senate Amendments By GABRIEL
AB 154 BUDGET Concurrence in Senate Amendments By GABRIEL
AB 245 Gipson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 253 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 265 Caloza Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 290 Bauer-Kahan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 301 Schiavo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 325 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 357 Alvarez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 394 Wilson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 400 Pacheco Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 445 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 451 Petrie-Norris Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 460 Chen Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 462 Lowenthal Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 468 Gabriel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 476 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 478 Zbur Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 531 Rogers Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 562 Solache Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 587 Davies Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 607 Celeste Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 630 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 670 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 726 Ávila Farías Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 770 Mark González Concurrence - Urgency Added
AB 779 Lackey Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 799 Celeste Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 831 Valencia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 841 Patel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 849 Soria Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 853 Wicks Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 896 Elhawary Concurrence in Senate Amendments
With recommendation: That Senate amendments be concurred in
AB 969 Celeste Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 978 Hoover Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 979 Irwin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 986 Muratsuchi Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1005 Davies Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1007 Blanca Rubio Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1009 Blanca Rubio Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1032 Harabedian Concurrence in Senate Amendments