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
3,711 events, each with its sourceSB 922 Laird Senate Third Reading By Bennett
SB 930 Reyes Senate Third Reading By Pellerin
SB 939 Laird Senate Third Reading By McKinnor
SB 992 Niello Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SB 1082 Niello Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SB 1129 Caballero Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SB 1133 Strickland Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SB 1165 Caballero Senate Third Reading By Carrillo
SB 1429 Elections and Constitutional Amendments Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SB 1430 Elections and Constitutional Amendments Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 113 Grove Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 166 Choi Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 185 Caballero Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 189 Rubio Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SJR 6 Cortese Senate Third Reading By Solache
AB 1651 Dixon Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2134 Addis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2789 Judiciary Concurrence in Senate Amendments By KALRA
HR 120 Alanis Consent Calendar Second Day
ACR 126 Tangipa Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AJR 27 Harabedian Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 897 Choi Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SJR 12 Laird Senate Third Reading By Hart
SJR 14 Cabaldon Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SJR 17 Choi Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 35 Alvarez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 126 BUDGET Concurrence in Senate Amendments By GABRIEL
AB 2796 Public Safety Consent Calendar Second Day
SB 33 Cortese Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SB 722 Wahab Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SB 762 Arreguín Third Reading Urgency By Hart
SB 799 Allen Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SB 918 Seyarto Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SB 927 Choi Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SB 935 Choi Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SB 963 Laird Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SB 1126 Choi Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SB 1204 Ochoa Bogh Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SB 1236 Governmental Organization Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SB 1273 Cabaldon Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SB 1434 Governmental Organization Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
HR 114 Jackson Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
HR 123 Michelle Rodriguez Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
ACR 192 Ta Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
ACR 207 Kalra Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
ACR 218 Ramos Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
ACR 226 Wilson Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
ACR 227 Sharp-Collins Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 108 Archuleta Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 117 Dahle Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session