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 sourceSB 839 Laird Senate Third Reading By Connolly
SB 840 Limón Third Reading Urgency By IRWIN
AB 349 Dixon Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 8 AGUIAR-CURRY Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 985 Schiavo Concurrence - Urgency Added
AB 975 Gallagher Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 237 Grayson Senate Third Reading By WILSON
AB 963 Petrie-Norris Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 962 Hoover Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 959 Hadwick Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 943 Michelle Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 940 WICKS Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 915 Petrie-Norris Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 299 GABRIEL Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 495 Allen Senate Third Reading By Harabedian
AB 889 Hadwick Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 870 Hadwick Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 847 Sharp-Collins Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 825 PETRIE-NORRIS Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 808 Addis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 789 Bonta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 226 CALDERON Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 764 Jeff Gonzalez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 429 Cortese Senate Third Reading By Alvarez
AB 741 Ransom Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 732 MACEDO Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 720 Rogers Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 715 ZBUR Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 414 Ashby Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
AB 699 Stefani Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 695 Fong Concurrence - Urgency Added
SB 295 Hurtado Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
AB 653 Lackey Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 744 Cabaldon Senate Third Reading By Bryan
AB 587 Davies Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 59 Wiener Third Reading Urgency By Mark González
AB 562 Solache Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1524 JUD. Concurrence in Senate Amendments By KALRA
SB 756 Smallwood-Cuevas Senate Third Reading By McKinnor
SB 57 Padilla Senate Third Reading By Hart
SB 703 Richardson Senate Third Reading By Bryan
SB 720 Ashby Senate Third Reading By Pellerin
AB 1476 Wallis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 531 Rogers Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 53 Wiener Senate Third Reading By BAUER-KAHAN
SB 63 Wiener Senate Third Reading By Wilson
SB 11 Ashby Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
AB 1400 Soria Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 682 Allen Senate Third Reading By Connolly
AB 1373 Soria Concurrence in Senate Amendments