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 47 Umberg Third Reading Urgency By Kalra
AB 64 Pacheco Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 260 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence - Urgency Added
AB 554 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 518 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 515 Pacheco Concurrence in Senate Amendments
Be adopted. To Consent Calendar
AB 679 Pellerin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 898 Bryan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 683 Cortese Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
AB 1125 Nguyen Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1378 Rogers Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 263 Rogers Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 313 Cervantes Senate Third Reading By Bonta
AB 640 Muratsuchi Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 742 Elhawary Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 709 Menjivar Senate Third Reading By Schultz
AB 1249 Wilson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 682 Ortega Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 474 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1280 Garcia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1250 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 524 Wilson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 935 Ransom Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 76 Alvarez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 14 Hart Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 246 Bryan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 766 Allen Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
AB 1504 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 656 Schiavo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 771 Stern Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
AB 1308 Hoover Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 777 Richardson Senate Third Reading By Berman
AB 512 Harabedian Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 606 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 630 Allen Senate Third Reading By Pellerin
AB 1532 Communications and Conve Concurrence - Urgency Added By BOERNER
AB 621 Bauer-Kahan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1531 Emergency Management Concurrence in Senate Amendments By RANSOM
SB 302 Padilla Senate Third Reading By Petrie-Norris
AB 250 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1261 Bonta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 753 Garcia Concurrence - Urgency Added
AB 1501 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1503 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 361 Becker Senate Third Reading By Wicks
AB 1410 Garcia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 752 Ávila Farías Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 845 Arambula Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 820 Stern Senate Third Reading By Schultz