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
4,450 events, each with its sourceAB 2311 Schiavo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2314 Rogers Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2332 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2374 Fong Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2392 Fong Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2409 Valencia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2429 Blanca Rubio Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2460 Celeste Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2463 Petrie-Norris Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2465 Ortega Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2475 Emergency Management Concurrence in Senate Amendments By RANSOM
AB 2486 Addis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2490 Valencia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2495 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2496 Solache Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2502 Pellerin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2505 Carrillo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2510 Arambula Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2524 Gipson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2531 Irwin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2541 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2561 Valencia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2589 Irwin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2599 Bryan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2605 Arambula Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2706 Soria Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2765 Ahrens Concurrence - Urgency Added
AB 2768 Ahrens Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2771 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2775 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2783 JUD. Concurrence in Senate Amendments By KALRA
AB 2788 TRANS. Concurrence in Senate Amendments By WILSON
AB 2790 Communications and Conve Concurrence in Senate Amendments By BOERNER
SB 685 Cortese Senate Third Reading By Bonta
SB 769 Caballero Senate Third Reading By SOLACHE
SB 802 Ashby Senate Third Reading By Krell
SB 894 Allen Senate Third Reading By Bennett
SB 923 Becker Senate Third Reading By Schiavo
SB 954 Blakespear Senate Third Reading By Connolly
SB 959 Grayson Third Reading Urgency By Bauer-Kahan
SB 983 Weber Pierson Senate Third Reading By Boerner
SB 1004 Wiener Senate Third Reading By Schultz
SB 1024 Menjivar Senate Third Reading By Wicks
SB 1085 Durazo Senate Third Reading By Bryan
AB 31 Ramos Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 375 Nguyen Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 744 Michelle Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 982 Carrillo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1116 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1265 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments