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 615 Davies Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 527 Papan Assembly Third Reading
AB 686 Berman Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1318 Bonta Third Reading Urgency
AB 1021 Wicks Assembly Third Reading
AB 1338 Solache Assembly Third Reading
AB 49 Muratsuchi Third Reading Urgency
ACR 84 Hoover Consent Calendar Second Day
AB 968 Boerner Assembly Third Reading
AB 1272 Dixon Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 967 Valencia Assembly Third Reading
AB 1112 Wallis Assembly Third Reading
AB 1197 Calderon Assembly Third Reading
AB 922 Hoover Assembly Third Reading
AB 447 Mark González Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 777 Celeste Rodriguez Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1155 Fong Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 4 Umberg Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 630 Mark González Assembly Third Reading
ACR 86 Rivas Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 455 Ortega Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
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ACR 24 Alanis Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
ACR 83 Wilson Assembly Third Reading
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ACR 74 Wilson Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 839 Blanca Rubio Assembly Third Reading
SCR 42 Umberg Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
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AB 507 Haney Assembly Third Reading
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AB 580 Wallis Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 23 Umberg Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
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AB 1017 Boerner Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1016 Jeff Gonzalez Assembly Third Reading
AB 435 Wilson Assembly Third Reading
AB 875 Muratsuchi Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 302 Bauer-Kahan Assembly Third Reading
AB 300 Lackey Assembly Third Reading
AB 1014 Rogers Assembly Third Reading
SCR 24 Alvarado-Gil Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1250 Papan Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session