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 sourceAB 1275 Elhawary Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 737 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1455 Bryan Concurrence - Urgency Added
AB 563 Jackson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1167 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 648 Zbur Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1094 Bains Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 561 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1096 Connolly Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 19 Rubio Senate Third Reading By Patel
AB 1303 Valencia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1318 Bonta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1296 Bonta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1326 Ahrens Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1269 Bryan Concurrence - Urgency Added
AB 1340 Wicks Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1348 Bains Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1239 Dixon Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 255 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1384 Nguyen Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 55 Bonta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 316 Krell Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 320 Bennett Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 57 McKinnor Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 341 Arambula Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1123 Muratsuchi Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1312 Schiavo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 5 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 60 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 367 Bennett Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 368 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1075 Bryan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1103 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 393 Connolly Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 411 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1041 Bennett Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 440 Ramos Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 449 Jackson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 864 Padilla Third Reading Urgency By Ramos
SB 805 Pérez Third Reading Urgency By Ortega
SB 793 Archuleta Senate Third Reading By Ransom
SB 779 Archuleta Senate Third Reading By Berman
AB 953 Pacheco Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 930 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 754 Durazo Senate Third Reading By Papan
SB 717 Richardson Senate Third Reading By Aguiar-Curry
SB 711 McNerney Third Reading Urgency By McKinnor
SB 710 Blakespear Senate Third Reading By Berman
SB 702 Limón Senate Third Reading By Blanca Rubio
AB 899 Ransom Concurrence in Senate Amendments