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
4,174 events, each with its sourceAB 2038 Harabedian Assembly Third Reading
AB 2106 Patel Assembly Third Reading
ACR 184 Rivas Consent Calendar Second Day
AB 1999 Kalra Assembly Third Reading
AB 2532 Irwin Assembly Third Reading
AB 2519 McKinnor Assembly Third Reading
AB 2134 Addis Assembly Third Reading
AB 2281 Berman Assembly Third Reading
AB 2568 Johnson Assembly Third Reading
AB 2784 Judiciary Assembly Third Reading By KALRA
AB 2503 Wallis Assembly Third Reading
AB 2780 Public Employment and Re Assembly Third Reading By McKINNOR
ACR 141 Ta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AJR 29 Berman Assembly Third Reading
AB 1943 Gipson Assembly Third Reading
AB 2188 Pellerin Assembly Third Reading
AB 1920 Mark González Assembly Third Reading
AB 1786 Harabedian Assembly Third Reading
AB 2448 Berman Assembly Third Reading
AB 2117 Alvarez Assembly Third Reading
AB 1794 Ransom Assembly Third Reading
AB 2125 Bennett Assembly Third Reading
AB 1713 Ransom Assembly Third Reading
AB 2413 Ransom Assembly Third Reading
AB 2231 Ahrens Assembly Third Reading
AB 2263 Kalra Assembly Third Reading
AB 2697 Pellerin Assembly Third Reading
AB 1703 Hart Assembly Third Reading
AB 1829 Fong Assembly Third Reading
AB 2149 Garcia Assembly Third Reading
AB 1625 Nguyen Assembly Third Reading
AB 108 GABRIEL Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2655 Valencia Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2636 Pacheco Assembly Third Reading
AB 1637 Caloza Assembly Third Reading
AB 2595 Papan Assembly Third Reading
ACR 188 Soria Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2572 Fong Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
ACR 174 Muratsuchi Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1733 Lee Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1544 Krell Assembly Third Reading
AB 2534 Kalra Assembly Third Reading
AB 2080 Johnson Assembly Third Reading
AB 2791 Natural Resources Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2787 Water, Parks, and Wildlife Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1389 Blanca Rubio Concurrence - Urgency Added
AB 1632 Johnson Assembly Third Reading
AB 2778 Agriculture Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2779 Agriculture Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2477 Chen Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session