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 429 Hadwick Third Reading Urgency
AB 481 Blanca Rubio Assembly Third Reading
AB 747 Kalra Assembly Third Reading
AB 1048 Chen Assembly Third Reading
AB 1530 Emergency Management Assembly Third Reading By RANSOM
AB 605 Muratsuchi Assembly Third Reading
AB 402 Patel Assembly Third Reading
AB 97 Lackey Third Reading Urgency
AB 812 Lowenthal Assembly Third Reading
AB 380 Mark González Assembly Third Reading
AB 1074 Patel Assembly Third Reading
AB 642 Muratsuchi Third Reading Urgency
AB 1285 Emergency Management Assembly Third Reading By RANSOM
AB 1079 Ávila Farías Assembly Third Reading
AB 1084 Zbur Third Reading Urgency
AB 640 Muratsuchi Assembly Third Reading
AB 830 Rogers Assembly Third Reading
AB 542 Celeste Rodriguez Assembly Third Reading
AB 246 Bryan Assembly Third Reading
AB 704 Lowenthal Assembly Third Reading
AB 48 Alvarez Assembly Third Reading
AB 486 Lackey Assembly Third Reading
AB 696 Ransom Assembly Third Reading
AB 1119 Patel Assembly Third Reading
AB 353 Boerner Assembly Third Reading
AB 1210 Lackey Assembly Third Reading
AB 928 Rogers Assembly Third Reading
AB 1340 Wicks Assembly Third Reading
AB 1417 Stefani Assembly Third Reading
AB 948 Flora Assembly Third Reading
AB 1280 Garcia Assembly Third Reading
AB 1172 Nguyen Assembly Third Reading
AB 1249 Wilson Assembly Third Reading
AB 1441 Soria Assembly Third Reading
AB 1448 Hart Assembly Third Reading
AB 993 Hadwick Assembly Third Reading
AB 735 Carrillo Assembly Third Reading
AB 998 Hadwick Assembly Third Reading
AB 1466 Hart Assembly Third Reading
AB 878 Kalra Assembly Third Reading
AB 81 Ta Assembly Third Reading
AB 660 Wilson Assembly Third Reading
AB 653 Lackey Assembly Third Reading
AB 568 Lackey Assembly Third Reading
AB 572 Kalra Assembly Third Reading
AB 1234 Ortega Assembly Third Reading
AB 882 Papan Assembly Third Reading
AB 340 Ahrens Assembly Third Reading
AB 1485 Macedo Assembly Third Reading
AB 635 Ahrens Assembly Third Reading