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
4,174 events, each with its sourceAB 1103 Ward Assembly Third Reading
AB 334 Petrie-Norris Consent Calendar Second Day
AB 1220 Arambula Assembly Third Reading
AB 828 Mark González Assembly Third Reading
AB 316 Krell Assembly Third Reading
AJR 11 Ransom Assembly Third Reading
AB 656 Schiavo Assembly Third Reading
AB 1504 Berman Assembly Third Reading
AB 987 Sharp-Collins Assembly Third Reading
AB 904 Aguiar-Curry Assembly Third Reading
AB 571 Quirk-Silva Third Reading Urgency
AB 1374 Berman Assembly Third Reading
AB 445 Aguiar-Curry Assembly Third Reading
AB 1223 Nguyen Assembly Third Reading
AB 46 Nguyen Assembly Third Reading
AB 1190 Haney Assembly Third Reading
AB 482 Solache Assembly Third Reading
AB 881 Petrie-Norris Assembly Third Reading
AB 290 Bauer-Kahan Assembly Third Reading
AB 309 Zbur Assembly Third Reading
AB 1341 Hoover Assembly Third Reading
AB 1516 REV. & TAX. Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1436 Ávila Farías Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1528 Human Services Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 972 Wilson Assembly Third Reading
AB 896 Elhawary Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1334 Wallis Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 592 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 438 Hadwick Consent Calendar Second Day
AB 416 Krell Assembly Third Reading
AB 379 Schultz Assembly Third Reading
AB 391 Michelle Rodriguez Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 463 Michelle Rodriguez Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
ACR 5 Nguyen Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1177 Connolly Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1415 Bonta Assembly Third Reading
HR 38 Fong Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 632 Hart Assembly Third Reading
AB 1478 Hoover Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 760 Ta Assembly Third Reading
AB 358 Alvarez Assembly Third Reading
AB 1529 Housing and Community Development Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1085 Stefani Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 752 Ávila Farías Assembly Third Reading
AB 711 Chen Assembly Third Reading
AB 1301 Petrie-Norris Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 34 Grove Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 806 Connolly Assembly Third Reading
SCR 55 Niello Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 655 Alvarez Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session