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 sourceAB 343 Pacheco Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 352 Pacheco Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 365 Schiavo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 399 Boerner Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 435 Wilson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 489 Bonta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 509 Flora Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 542 Celeste Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments By LOWENTHAL
AB 519 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 592 Gabriel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 645 Carrillo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 769 Wilson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 759 Valencia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 774 Bauer-Kahan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 806 Connolly Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 830 Rogers Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 848 Soria Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 893 Fong Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 931 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 987 Sharp-Collins Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1002 Gabriel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1021 Wicks Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1061 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1067 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1076 Addis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1314 Ahrens Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1344 Irwin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1374 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1415 Bonta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 3 Cervantes Senate Third Reading By Berman
SB 5 Cabaldon Senate Third Reading By Wilson
SB 20 Menjivar Senate Third Reading By Celeste Rodriguez
SB 21 Durazo Senate Third Reading By Mark González
SB 39 Weber Pierson Third Reading Urgency By Irwin
SB 50 Ashby Senate Third Reading By Bonta
SB 54 Umberg Senate Third Reading By Schiavo
SB 68 Menjivar Senate Third Reading By Elhawary
SB 78 Seyarto Senate Third Reading By Lackey
SB 82 Umberg Senate Third Reading By Connolly
SB 86 McNerney Senate Third Reading By Wilson
SB 236 Weber Pierson Senate Third Reading By Elhawary
SB 233 Seyarto Senate Third Reading By Alanis
SB 241 Cervantes Senate Third Reading By Fong
SB 253 Umberg Senate Third Reading By Kalra
SB 261 Wahab Senate Third Reading By Kalra
SB 262 Wahab Senate Third Reading By Ahrens
SB 275 Smallwood-Cuevas Senate Third Reading By Ortega
SB 278 Cabaldon Senate Third Reading By Mark González
SB 279 McNerney Senate Third Reading By Soria
SB 291 Grayson Senate Third Reading By Carrillo