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 2423 Patterson Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
ACR 166 Ávila Farías Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
ACR 126 Tangipa Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1673 Hadwick Assembly Third Reading
AB 2155 Aguiar-Curry Consent Calendar Second Day
HR 106 Elhawary Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1951 Dixon Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
Black Health Equity Advocacy Week.
Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
AB 1781 Michelle Rodriguez Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2052 Stefani Assembly Third Reading
AB 1587 Ta Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 138 Ashby Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2086 Ellis Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
ACR 169 DeMaio Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
Youth Mental Health Awareness Week in California.
Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
California Physical Education Week.
AB 1562 Jackson Assembly Third Reading
ACR 170 Wallis Consent Calendar Second Day
ACR 171 Celeste Rodriguez Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1838 Berman Assembly Third Reading
AB 1974 Stefani Assembly Third Reading
Relative to Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month.
AB 1607 Mark González Assembly Third Reading
AB 2402 Boerner Assembly Third Reading
SJR 7 Cervantes Senate Third Reading By Solache
Wildland-Urban Interface Preparedness and Resilience Day.
AB 1659 Ransom Assembly Third Reading
AB 2297 Stefani Assembly Third Reading
AB 2248 Hoover Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1912 Hadwick Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 132 Ochoa Bogh Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1541 Dixon Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2588 Hadwick Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2571 Flora Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2556 Boerner Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1767 Berman Consent Calendar Second Day
AB 1601 Rogers Assembly Third Reading
AB 1846 Stefani Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2539 Ramos Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2194 Valencia Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 2147 Schiavo Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1801 Lee Assembly Third Reading
AB 2286 Bryan Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
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ACR 172 Macedo Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session