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
4,072 events, each with its sourceSB 541 Becker Senate Third Reading By Schultz
AB 1373 Soria Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 726 Ávila Farías Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 245 Reyes Senate Third Reading By Bryan
AB 799 Celeste Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 404 Caballero Senate Third Reading By Blanca Rubio
SB 487 Grayson Senate Third Reading By Gipson
AB 91 Harabedian Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 779 Lackey Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 770 Mark González Concurrence - Urgency Added
SB 461 Padilla Senate Third Reading By Blanca Rubio
SB 451 Archuleta Senate Third Reading By AHRENS
AB 1288 Addis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 7 Bryan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 57 Padilla Senate Third Reading By Hart
AB 325 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 301 Schiavo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 59 Wiener Third Reading Urgency By Mark González
SB 385 Seyarto Third Reading Urgency By Irwin
AB 70 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 632 Hart Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 858 Lee Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1078 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 293 Pérez Senate Third Reading By Harabedian
AB 1336 Addis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 628 McKinnor Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 338 Solache Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1527 Soria Concurrence - Urgency Added
AB 564 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 79 Wiener Senate Third Reading By Quirk-Silva
AB 1324 Sharp-Collins Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1319 Schultz Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 93 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 777 Celeste Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1529 Housing and Community De Concurrence in Senate Amendments By HANEY
AB 961 Ávila Farías Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 22 Laird Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
SB 147 Budget and Fiscal Review Senate Third Reading By GABRIEL
SB 838 Durazo Senate Third Reading By Carrillo
AB 507 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 37 Umberg Senate Third Reading By Stefani
AB 1466 Hart Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 146 Budget and Fiscal Review Senate Third Reading By GABRIEL
AB 1362 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 422 Jackson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 419 Connolly Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 650 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 24 McNerney Senate Third Reading By Berman
SB 400 Cortese Third Reading Urgency By Calderon
AB 1050 Schultz Concurrence in Senate Amendments