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 606 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 561 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 812 Lowenthal Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 500 Stern Senate Third Reading By Petrie-Norris
SB 509 Caballero Senate Third Reading By Bains
AB 1096 Connolly Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1094 Bains Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1104 Pellerin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 461 Ahrens Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1502 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 578 Smallwood-Cuevas Senate Third Reading By Kalra
SB 472 Stern Senate Third Reading By Lowenthal
AB 1503 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 818 Ávila Farías Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1074 Patel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 450 Menjivar Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
SB 418 Menjivar Third Reading Urgency By Bonta
AB 1125 Nguyen Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 630 Allen Senate Third Reading By Pellerin
AB 64 Pacheco Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1504 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 474 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1511 Elections Concurrence in Senate Amendments By PELLERIN
SB 376 Valladares Senate Third Reading By Quirk-Silva
AB 1532 Communications and Conve Concurrence - Urgency Added By BOERNER
SB 427 Blakespear Senate Third Reading By Connolly
AB 1312 Schiavo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 257 Wahab Senate Third Reading By Bonta
AB 1318 Bonta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 660 Menjivar Senate Third Reading By Bonta
SB 263 Gonzalez Senate Third Reading By Lowenthal
SB 283 Laird Senate Third Reading By Petrie-Norris
AB 1326 Ahrens Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 805 Pérez Third Reading Urgency By Ortega
AB 60 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 797 Harabedian Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1123 Muratsuchi Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 793 Archuleta Senate Third Reading By Ransom
AB 836 Stefani Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 702 Limón Senate Third Reading By Blanca Rubio
AB 62 McKinnor Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 779 Archuleta Senate Third Reading By Berman
SB 413 Allen Senate Third Reading By McKinnor
AB 867 Lee Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 298 Caballero Senate Third Reading By Ransom
AB 506 Bennett Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 717 Richardson Senate Third Reading By Aguiar-Curry
AB 899 Ransom Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 627 Wiener Senate Third Reading By Carrillo
SB 711 McNerney Third Reading Urgency By McKinnor