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
4,483 events, each with its sourceSB 596 Menjivar Senate Third Reading By Schiavo
SB 643 Caballero Senate Third Reading By Petrie-Norris
SB 645 Umberg Senate Third Reading By Papan
SB 753 Cortese Senate Third Reading By Carrillo
SB 761 Ashby Senate Third Reading By Tangipa
SB 770 Allen Senate Third Reading By Zbur
SB 774 Ashby Senate Third Reading By Berman
SB 838 Durazo Senate Third Reading By Carrillo
AB 14 Hart Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 36 Soria Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 44 Schultz Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 64 Pacheco Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 76 Alvarez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 82 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 246 Bryan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 250 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 260 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence - Urgency Added
AB 263 Rogers Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 288 McKinnor Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 289 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 374 Nguyen Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 382 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 432 Bauer-Kahan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 450 Carrillo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 461 Ahrens Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 474 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 483 Irwin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 512 Harabedian Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 515 Pacheco Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 518 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 524 Wilson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 527 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 543 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 554 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 561 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 563 Jackson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
With recommendation: That Senate amendments be concurred in
AB 573 Rogers Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 606 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 640 Muratsuchi Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 621 Bauer-Kahan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 648 Zbur Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 656 Schiavo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 679 Pellerin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 682 Ortega Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 723 Pellerin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 727 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 737 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 742 Elhawary Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 749 McKinnor Concurrence in Senate Amendments