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 864 Ward Assembly Third Reading
AB 743 Michelle Rodriguez Assembly Third Reading
AB 866 Ortega Assembly Third Reading
AB 869 Irwin Assembly Third Reading
AB 873 Alanis Third Reading Urgency
AB 740 Harabedian Assembly Third Reading
AB 880 Bennett Assembly Third Reading
AB 913 Celeste Rodriguez Assembly Third Reading
AB 734 Schultz Assembly Third Reading
AB 91 Harabedian Assembly Third Reading
AB 731 Fong Assembly Third Reading
AB 887 Berman Assembly Third Reading
AB 524 Wilson Assembly Third Reading
AB 893 Fong Assembly Third Reading
AB 726 Ávila Farías Assembly Third Reading
AB 31 Ramos Assembly Third Reading
AB 716 Carrillo Assembly Third Reading
AB 900 Papan Assembly Third Reading
AB 1314 Ahrens Assembly Third Reading
AB 902 Schultz Assembly Third Reading
AB 908 Solache Assembly Third Reading
AB 911 Carrillo Assembly Third Reading
AB 915 Petrie-Norris Assembly Third Reading
AB 706 Aguiar-Curry Assembly Third Reading
AB 705 Boerner Assembly Third Reading
AB 957 Ortega Assembly Third Reading
AB 1312 Schiavo Assembly Third Reading
AB 694 McKinnor Assembly Third Reading
AB 932 Irwin Assembly Third Reading
AB 690 Schultz Assembly Third Reading
AB 938 Bonta Assembly Third Reading
AB 474 Ward Assembly Third Reading
AB 689 Blanca Rubio Assembly Third Reading
AB 688 Mark González Assembly Third Reading
AB 947 Connolly Assembly Third Reading
AB 954 Bennett Assembly Third Reading
AB 678 Lee Assembly Third Reading
AB 959 Hadwick Assembly Third Reading
AB 960 Garcia Assembly Third Reading
AB 961 Ávila Farías Assembly Third Reading
AB 963 Petrie-Norris Assembly Third Reading
AB 969 Celeste Rodriguez Assembly Third Reading
AB 480 Quirk-Silva Assembly Third Reading
AB 977 Ramos Assembly Third Reading
AB 979 Irwin Assembly Third Reading
AB 982 Carrillo Assembly Third Reading
AB 996 Pellerin Assembly Third Reading
AB 1002 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 1011 Hoover Assembly Third Reading
AB 82 Ward Assembly Third Reading