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 sourceAB 940 Wicks Assembly Third Reading
AB 1390 Solache Assembly Third Reading
AB 615 Davies Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1338 Solache Assembly Third Reading
AB 435 Wilson Assembly Third Reading
AB 1197 Calderon Assembly Third Reading
AB 1531 E.M. Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 447 Mark González Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 420 Petrie-Norris Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 415 Chen Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 385 Ramos Consent Calendar Second Day
AB 302 Bauer-Kahan Assembly Third Reading
AB 300 Lackey Assembly Third Reading
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AB 753 Garcia Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 777 Celeste Rodriguez Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 779 Lackey Assembly Third Reading
AB 784 Hoover Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 815 Ortega Assembly Third Reading
AB 818 Ávila Farías Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 839 Blanca Rubio Assembly Third Reading
AB 875 Muratsuchi Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1445 Haney Assembly Third Reading
AB 894 Carrillo Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1430 Bennett Assembly Third Reading
AB 1412 Jeff Gonzalez Assembly Third Reading
AB 953 Pacheco Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 922 Hoover Assembly Third Reading
AB 525 Lackey Assembly Third Reading
ACR 24 Alanis Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 950 Solache Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
ACR 74 Wilson Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 956 Quirk-Silva Assembly Third Reading
ACR 83 Wilson Assembly Third Reading
ACR 86 Rivas Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 587 Davies Assembly Third Reading
AB 729 Zbur Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1370 Patterson Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 455 Ortega Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1346 DeMaio Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 965 Dixon Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1322 Agriculture Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 975 Gallagher Assembly Third Reading
AB 1308 Hoover Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 507 Haney Assembly Third Reading
AB 1007 Blanca Rubio Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1014 Rogers Assembly Third Reading
AB 1016 Jeff Gonzalez Assembly Third Reading
AB 1017 Boerner Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1276 Carrillo Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session