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 1336 Addis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 761 Ashby Senate Third Reading By Tangipa
AB 1487 Addis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 495 Celeste Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 70 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 564 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 93 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1064 Bauer-Kahan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 643 Caballero Senate Third Reading By Petrie-Norris
AB 777 Celeste Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 770 Allen Senate Third Reading By Zbur
SB 7 McNerney Senate Third Reading By Ward
AB 1466 Hart Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 361 Becker Senate Third Reading By Wicks
AB 1370 Patterson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 683 Cortese Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
AB 483 Irwin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 313 Cervantes Senate Third Reading By Bonta
SB 709 Menjivar Senate Third Reading By Schultz
AB 1037 Elhawary Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 302 Padilla Senate Third Reading By Petrie-Norris
AB 76 Alvarez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1378 Rogers Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 82 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 827 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1028 Fong Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 898 Bryan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 766 Allen Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
AB 573 Rogers Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 771 Stern Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
AB 1410 Garcia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1531 Emergency Management Concurrence in Senate Amendments By RANSOM
SB 777 Richardson Senate Third Reading By Berman
SB 292 Cervantes Senate Third Reading By Harabedian
AB 1520 W., P. & W. Concurrence in Senate Amendments By PAPAN
SB 820 Stern Senate Third Reading By Schultz
SB 825 Limón Senate Third Reading By Schiavo
AB 512 Harabedian Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 992 Irwin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 843 Garcia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 515 Pacheco Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 543 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 518 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 243 Padilla Senate Third Reading By Kalra
AB 845 Arambula Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1167 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 524 Wilson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1411 Sharp-Collins Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 554 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1414 Ransom Concurrence in Senate Amendments