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
4,608 events, each with its sourceAB 596 ORTEGA Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 48 Gonzalez Senate Third Reading By FONG
AB 572 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 861 Business, Professions and Senate Third Reading By FLORA
SB 646 Weber Pierson Senate Third Reading By Papan
AB 1479 Tangipa Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1454 RIVAS Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1441 Soria Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1418 Schiavo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 851 Cervantes Senate Second Reading By Pellerin
AB 1392 Sharp-Collins Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1390 Solache Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1388 Bryan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1417 Stefani Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1376 Bonta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 486 Lackey Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1356 Dixon Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 484 Dixon Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 158 Budget and Fiscal Review Senate Third Reading By GABRIEL
AB 1273 Patterson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 295 Hurtado Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
AB 1246 Hoover Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1231 ELHAWARY Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 547 Pérez Senate Third Reading By Calderon
SB 254 Becker Third Reading Urgency By Petrie-Norris
SB 839 Laird Senate Third Reading By Connolly
AB 1210 Lackey Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1207 IRWIN Concurrence - Urgency Added
AB 1178 PACHECO Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1152 Patterson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1143 Bennett Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1127 GABRIEL Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1108 Hart Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 616 Rubio Senate Third Reading By Aguiar-Curry
AB 45 Bauer-Kahan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1098 Fong Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 383 Davies Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 840 Limón Third Reading Urgency By IRWIN
AB 1084 Zbur Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1079 Ávila Farías Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 378 Valencia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1071 Kalra Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 495 Allen Senate Third Reading By Harabedian
SB 67 Seyarto Senate Third Reading By Ta
AB 1043 WICKS Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 366 PETRIE-NORRIS Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1036 Schultz Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 16 Alanis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 349 Dixon Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 8 AGUIAR-CURRY Concurrence in Senate Amendments