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 650 Papan Assembly Third Reading
AB 1018 Bauer-Kahan Assembly Third Reading
AB 649 Lowenthal Assembly Third Reading
AB 466 Solache Assembly Third Reading
AB 461 Ahrens Assembly Third Reading
AB 1027 Sharp-Collins Assembly Third Reading
AB 1032 Harabedian Third Reading Urgency
AB 451 Petrie-Norris Assembly Third Reading
AB 450 Carrillo Assembly Third Reading
AB 449 Jackson Assembly Third Reading
AB 443 Bennett Assembly Third Reading
AB 1036 Schultz Assembly Third Reading
AB 440 Ramos Assembly Third Reading
AB 1039 Hart Assembly Third Reading
AB 1042 Ransom Assembly Third Reading
AB 431 Wilson Assembly Third Reading
AB 1043 Wicks Assembly Third Reading
AB 422 Jackson Assembly Third Reading
AB 1045 Ávila Farías Assembly Third Reading
AB 1046 Bains Assembly Third Reading
AB 419 Connolly Assembly Third Reading
AB 1050 Schultz Assembly Third Reading
AB 413 Fong Assembly Third Reading
AB 1051 Davies Assembly Third Reading
AB 411 Papan Assembly Third Reading
AB 400 Pacheco Assembly Third Reading
AB 399 Boerner Assembly Third Reading
AB 395 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 394 Wilson Assembly Third Reading
AB 393 Connolly Assembly Third Reading
AB 1064 Bauer-Kahan Assembly Third Reading
AB 644 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 1068 Bains Assembly Third Reading
AB 1069 Bains Assembly Third Reading
AB 382 Berman Assembly Third Reading
AB 378 Valencia Assembly Third Reading
AB 6 Ward Assembly Third Reading
AB 372 Bennett Assembly Third Reading
AB 1078 Berman Assembly Third Reading
AB 368 Ward Assembly Third Reading
AB 367 Bennett Assembly Third Reading
AB 80 Aguiar-Curry Assembly Third Reading
AB 638 Celeste Rodriguez Assembly Third Reading
AB 1088 Bains Assembly Third Reading
AB 1093 Solache Assembly Third Reading
AB 1094 Bains Assembly Third Reading
AB 1096 Connolly Assembly Third Reading
AB 1098 Fong Assembly Third Reading
AB 629 Ward Assembly Third Reading
AB 366 Petrie-Norris Assembly Third Reading