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 120 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 127 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 126 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 125 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 124 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
SCR 20 Ochoa Bogh Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 123 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 122 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 121 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
SCR 30 Smallwood-Cuevas Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
HR 15 Aguiar-Curry Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 118 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 103 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 102 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 101 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 100 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 248 Bryan Assembly Third Reading
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar
Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Human Services]
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
Be adopted as amended. To Consent Calendar
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Military and Veterans Affairs]
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar
Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Local Government]
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
Do pass as amended
Be adopted. To third reading
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]
ACR 46 Soria Consent Calendar Second Day
AB 387 Alanis Assembly Third Reading
HR 22 Soria Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
HR 9 Lackey Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 17 Niello Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 321 Schultz Assembly Third Reading
AB 223 Pacheco Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 78 Chen Consent Calendar Second Day
HR 20 Ransom Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
ACR 43 Pacheco Consent Calendar Second Day
SCR 16 Alvarado-Gil Consent Calendar Second Day
SCR 15 Umberg Consent Calendar Second Day
HR 7 Ta Consent Calendar Second Day