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
4,861 events, each with its sourceAB 1520 W., P. & W. Concurrence in Senate Amendments By PAPAN
AB 1521 Judiciary Concurrence in Senate Amendments By KALRA
AB 1525 JUD. Concurrence in Senate Amendments By KALRA
AB 1531 Emergency Management Concurrence in Senate Amendments By RANSOM
AB 1532 Communications and Conve Concurrence - Urgency Added By BOERNER
SB 47 Umberg Third Reading Urgency By Kalra
SB 83 Umberg Senate Third Reading By Petrie-Norris
SB 243 Padilla Senate Third Reading By Kalra
SB 292 Cervantes Senate Third Reading By Harabedian
SB 302 Padilla Senate Third Reading By Petrie-Norris
SB 313 Cervantes Senate Third Reading By Bonta
SB 361 Becker Senate Third Reading By Wicks
SB 376 Valladares Senate Third Reading By Quirk-Silva
SB 418 Menjivar Third Reading Urgency By Bonta
SB 450 Menjivar Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
SB 472 Stern Senate Third Reading By Lowenthal
SB 500 Stern Senate Third Reading By Petrie-Norris
SB 509 Caballero Senate Third Reading By Bains
SB 578 Smallwood-Cuevas Senate Third Reading By Kalra
SB 630 Allen Senate Third Reading By Pellerin
SB 683 Cortese Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
SB 709 Menjivar Senate Third Reading By Schultz
SB 766 Allen Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
SB 771 Stern Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
SB 777 Richardson Senate Third Reading By Berman
SB 820 Stern Senate Third Reading By Schultz
SB 825 Limón Senate Third Reading By Schiavo
Be adopted. To Consent Calendar
AB 5 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 15 Gipson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 55 Bonta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 57 McKinnor Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 60 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 62 McKinnor Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 255 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 316 Krell Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 320 Bennett Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 341 Arambula Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 367 Bennett Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 368 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 393 Connolly Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 411 Papan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 440 Ramos Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 449 Jackson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 506 Bennett Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 546 Caloza Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 560 Addis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 671 Wicks Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 677 Bryan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 754 Connolly Concurrence in Senate Amendments