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
4,552 events, each with its sourceAB 2273 Bains Assembly Third Reading
AB 2274 Bains Assembly Third Reading
AB 2322 Papan Assembly Third Reading
AB 2361 Pacheco Assembly Third Reading
AB 2496 Solache Assembly Third Reading
AB 2512 Valencia Assembly Third Reading
AB 2641 Michelle Rodriguez Assembly Third Reading
ACA 9 BOERNER Assembly Third Reading
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AB 1559 Calderon Consent Calendar Second Day
AB 1569 Davies Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1581 Ramos Assembly Third Reading
AB 1586 Ramos Assembly Third Reading
AB 1590 Ransom Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1626 Gabriel Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1665 Pacheco Assembly Third Reading
AB 1693 Zbur Assembly Third Reading
AB 1694 Carrillo Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1712 Pacheco Assembly Third Reading
AB 1766 Krell Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1768 Bryan Third Reading Urgency
AB 1778 Patterson Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1779 Davies Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1792 Michelle Rodriguez Assembly Third Reading
AB 1811 Rogers Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1816 Davies Assembly Third Reading
AB 1822 Muratsuchi Assembly Third Reading
AB 1913 Soria Assembly Third Reading
AB 1928 Fong Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2005 Ahrens Assembly Third Reading
AB 2025 Pellerin Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2028 Chen Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2044 Petrie-Norris Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2078 Rogers Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2135 Kalra Assembly Third Reading
AB 2120 Solache Assembly Third Reading
AB 2121 Berman Third Reading Urgency
AB 2127 Johnson Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2174 Johnson Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2191 Quirk-Silva Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2198 Michelle Rodriguez Assembly Third Reading
AB 2203 Tangipa Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2207 Hadwick Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2255 Pellerin Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
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AB 2292 Ward Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2307 Sanchez Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2312 Ávila Farías Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2320 Ta Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2332 Mark González Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session