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
4,087 events, each with its sourceSB 1418 Cervantes Third Reading Urgency By Jackson
SB 1364 Menjivar Senate Third Reading By Krell
SB 1349 Gonzalez Senate Third Reading By Connolly
SB 1328 Cervantes Senate Third Reading By Solache
SB 1191 Ochoa Bogh Third Reading Urgency By Hadwick
SB 1186 Seyarto Senate Third Reading By Patterson
SB 1166 Arreguín Senate Third Reading By Lee
SB 1150 Jones Senate Third Reading By Patel
SB 1117 Cervantes Senate Third Reading By Quirk-Silva
SB 1093 Allen Senate Third Reading By Irwin
SB 1073 Smallwood-Cuevas Senate Third Reading By Quirk-Silva
SB 1064 Dahle Senate Third Reading By Aguiar-Curry
SB 1059 Archuleta Senate Third Reading By Pacheco
SB 1049 Weber Pierson Senate Third Reading By Arambula
SB 1029 Seyarto Senate Third Reading By Davies
SB 949 Becker Senate Third Reading By Berman
SB 946 Seyarto Senate Third Reading By JOHNSON
SB 874 Weber Pierson Senate Third Reading By Addis
SB 661 Hurtado Senate Third Reading By Aguiar-Curry
SB 594 Padilla Senate Third Reading By Wallis
SB 239 Arreguín Senate Third Reading By Pacheco
SB 226 Cabaldon Senate Third Reading By Aguiar-Curry
AB 2780 Public Employment and Re Concurrence in Senate Amendments By McKINNOR
AB 2766 Ahrens Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2660 Alvarez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2634 Zbur Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2576 Harabedian Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2418 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2380 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2255 Pellerin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2249 Irwin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2233 Ta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2186 McKinnor Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2143 Irwin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2116 Schiavo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1999 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1894 Blanca Rubio Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1864 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1860 McKinnor Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1837 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1809 Fong Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1786 Harabedian Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1784 Pellerin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1722 Hadwick Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1711 Connolly Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1684 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 871 Stefani Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1201 Jackson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1359 Ahrens Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1579 Valencia Concurrence - Urgency Added