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
4,230 events, each with its sourceAB 288 McKinnor Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 44 Schultz Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 827 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 450 Menjivar Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
AB 1531 Emergency Management Concurrence in Senate Amendments By RANSOM
AB 64 Pacheco Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 313 Cervantes Senate Third Reading By Bonta
AB 518 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 683 Cortese Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
AB 843 Garcia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 563 Jackson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1197 Calderon Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1502 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 845 Arambula Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 753 Garcia Concurrence - Urgency Added
AB 474 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 606 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 671 Wicks Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 828 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 368 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1303 Valencia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 19 Rubio Senate Third Reading By Patel
SB 627 Wiener Senate Third Reading By Carrillo
SB 413 Allen Senate Third Reading By McKinnor
AB 677 Bryan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 797 Harabedian Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 255 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 506 Bennett Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 836 Stefani Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 333 Laird Senate Third Reading By Addis
AB 1041 Bennett Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 717 Richardson Senate Third Reading By Aguiar-Curry
AB 1296 Bonta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 631 Richardson Senate Third Reading By Patel
SB 402 Valladares Senate Third Reading By Nguyen
SB 518 Weber Pierson Senate Third Reading By Jackson
AB 393 Connolly Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 411 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1348 Bains Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 634 Pérez Senate Third Reading By Bryan
AB 316 Krell Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 711 McNerney Third Reading Urgency By McKinnor
AB 772 Lowenthal Concurrence in Senate Amendments By ORTEGA
SB 338 Becker Senate Third Reading By Michelle Rodriguez
SB 710 Blakespear Senate Third Reading By Berman
SB 530 Richardson Senate Third Reading By Patel
SB 307 Cervantes Senate Third Reading By Fong
AB 341 Arambula Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 304 Arreguín Senate Third Reading By Bonta
SB 533 Richardson Senate Third Reading By Wilson