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
4,072 events, each with its sourceAB 1682 Hart Concurrence in Senate Amendments
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AB 1721 Muratsuchi Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1751 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1761 Rogers Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1803 Lowenthal Concurrence in Senate Amendments By JACKSON
AB 1806 Gabriel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1807 Gabriel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1842 Harabedian Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1848 Ransom Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1927 Krell Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1931 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1932 Elhawary Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1943 Gipson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1946 Wicks Concurrence in Senate Amendments By KRELL
AB 1949 Lee Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1961 Ahrens Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1980 Caloza Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1987 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1994 Alvarez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2006 Michelle Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2039 Zbur Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2041 Carrillo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2045 Connolly Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2050 Caloza Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2054 Gipson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2066 Celeste Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2078 Rogers Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2089 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2111 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2115 Ramos Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2146 Stefani Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2150 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2161 Bonta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2185 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2194 Valencia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2218 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2230 Ávila Farías Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2241 Boerner Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2247 Elhawary Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2250 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2251 Celeste Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2257 Hart Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2273 Bains Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2290 Lackey Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2296 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2311 Schiavo Concurrence in Senate Amendments