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
4,306 events, each with its sourceSB 246 Grove Senate Third Reading By Hadwick
SB 76 Seyarto Senate Third Reading By Chen
AB 689 Blanca Rubio Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 250 Ochoa Bogh Senate Third Reading By Chen
SB 456 Ashby Senate Third Reading By Jackson
AB 712 Wicks Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 783 Rubio Senate Third Reading By Blanca Rubio
AB 471 Hart Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 627 Stefani Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 792 Lee Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 863 Revenue and Taxation Senate Third Reading By GIPSON
AB 821 Gipson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 578 Bauer-Kahan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 863 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 484 Laird Senate Third Reading By Haney
AB 876 Flora Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 455 Ortega Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1408 Irwin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 894 Carrillo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 900 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 639 Soria Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 932 Irwin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1369 Ramos Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 960 Garcia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 680 Rubio Senate Third Reading By Krell
SB 576 Umberg Senate Third Reading By Lowenthal
AB 1339 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 602 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 615 Davies Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1322 Agriculture Concurrence in Senate Amendments By SORIA
SB 785 Caballero Senate Third Reading By Elhawary
AB 663 McKinnor Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1258 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1255 Education Concurrence in Senate Amendments By MURATSUCHI
AB 348 Krell Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 694 Archuleta Senate Third Reading By Schiavo
SB 695 Cortese Senate Third Reading By Soria
AB 593 Wicks Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1230 Bonta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1223 Nguyen Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1003 Calderon Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1004 Wallis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 788 Niello Senate Third Reading By Krell
AB 1213 Stefani Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 487 Insurance Concurrence in Senate Amendments By CALDERON
SB 62 Menjivar Senate Third Reading By Bonta
AB 696 Ransom Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 653 Cortese Senate Third Reading By Pellerin
SB 92 Blakespear Senate Third Reading By Ward
AB 574 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments