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
4,483 events, each with its sourceAB 2163 Jeff Gonzalez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2167 Macedo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2204 Gabriel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2222 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2225 Patel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2234 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2294 Ta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2316 Hoover Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2320 Ta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2321 Ortega Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2344 HANEY Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2372 Hoover Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2383 ZBUR Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2414 NGUYEN Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2437 Chen Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2440 Muratsuchi Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2469 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2476 Ellis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2478 Schultz Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2493 Petrie-Norris Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2542 Patterson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2551 Elhawary Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2575 ORTEGA Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2694 Alvarez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2700 PATTERSON Concurrence in Senate Amendments By PATTERSON
AB 2717 CALOZA Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2727 Nguyen Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2760 Sharp-Collins Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 16 Blakespear Senate Third Reading By Krell
SB 114 Laird Senate Third Reading By GABRIEL
SB 133 Budget and Fiscal Review Senate Third Reading
SB 178 Budget and Fiscal Review Senate Third Reading By GABRIEL
SB 186 Budget and Fiscal Review Senate Third Reading By GABRIEL
SB 195 Budget and Fiscal Review Senate Third Reading By GABRIEL
SB 337 Menjivar Senate Third Reading By Aguiar-Curry
SB 574 Umberg Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
SB 716 Durazo Senate Third Reading By Mark González
SB 795 Archuleta Senate Third Reading By ALVAREZ
SB 867 Padilla Senate Third Reading By Lowenthal
SB 876 Padilla Senate Third Reading By Calderon
SB 878 Pérez Senate Third Reading By Harabedian
SB 883 Umberg Senate Third Reading By Quirk-Silva
SB 884 Umberg Third Reading Urgency By Valencia
SB 886 Padilla Senate Third Reading By Papan
SB 887 Padilla Senate Third Reading By Connolly
SB 895 Wiener Third Reading Urgency By Solache
SB 951 Reyes Senate Third Reading By Bryan
SB 960 Cabaldon Senate Third Reading By Alvarez
SB 1050 Ashby Senate Third Reading By Elhawary
SB 1057 Becker Senate Third Reading By Bonta