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 sourceSCR 4 Umberg Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 500 Quirk-Silva Assembly Third Reading
AB 1034 Ávila Farías Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1275 Elhawary Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 49 Wahab Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 23 Umberg Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 24 Alvarado-Gil Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 630 Mark González Assembly Third Reading
AB 1114 Ávila Farías Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 42 Umberg Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 43 Archuleta Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1125 Nguyen Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 45 Wahab Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1250 Papan Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 580 Wallis Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1139 Rogers Assembly Third Reading
SCR 59 Allen Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1141 Lee Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1155 Fong Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1214 Patterson Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 344 Valencia Assembly Third Reading
AB 445 Aguiar-Curry Assembly Third Reading
AB 1220 Arambula Assembly Third Reading
AB 46 Nguyen Assembly Third Reading
AB 290 Bauer-Kahan Assembly Third Reading
AB 761 Addis Assembly Third Reading
AJR 3 Schiavo Assembly Third Reading
AB 609 Wicks Assembly Third Reading
AB 656 Schiavo Assembly Third Reading
AB 904 Aguiar-Curry Assembly Third Reading
AB 930 Ward Assembly Third Reading
AB 1071 Kalra Assembly Third Reading
AB 920 Caloza Assembly Third Reading
AB 1061 Quirk-Silva Assembly Third Reading
AB 578 Bauer-Kahan Assembly Third Reading
AB 260 Aguiar-Curry Assembly Third Reading
AB 750 Quirk-Silva Assembly Third Reading
AB 645 Carrillo Assembly Third Reading
AB 454 Kalra Third Reading Urgency
AB 881 Petrie-Norris Assembly Third Reading
AB 1523 JUD. Assembly Third Reading By KALRA
AB 1374 Berman Assembly Third Reading
AB 1103 Ward Assembly Third Reading
AB 1303 Valencia Assembly Third Reading
AJR 11 Ransom Assembly Third Reading
AB 482 Solache Assembly Third Reading
AB 316 Krell Assembly Third Reading
AB 1237 McKinnor Third Reading Urgency
AB 571 Quirk-Silva Third Reading Urgency