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 577 Laird Senate Third Reading By McKinnor
SB 615 Allen Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
SB 715 Allen Senate Third Reading By Berman
AB 2 Lowenthal Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 40 Bonta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 302 Bauer-Kahan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
With recommendation: That Senate amendments be concurred in
AB 690 Schultz Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 713 Solache Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 912 Wilson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1526 Governmental Organizatio Concurrence in Senate Amendments By RUBIO
AB 1534 Irwin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1556 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1581 Ramos Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1586 Ramos Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1590 Ransom Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1633 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1640 Stefani Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1741 Pacheco Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1769 Ramos Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1798 Wilson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1832 Ransom Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1844 Pacheco Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1845 Krell Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1846 Stefani Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1897 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1904 Gipson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1906 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1907 Addis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1940 Calderon Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1945 Hadwick Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1985 Irwin Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1996 Bonta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2015 Wicks Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2051 Wicks Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2058 Harabedian Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2081 Stefani Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2118 Hoover Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2129 Flora Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2212 Bauer-Kahan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2227 Connolly Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2242 Davies Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2244 Gabriel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2313 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2318 Elhawary Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2369 Rogers Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2375 Blanca Rubio Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2439 Blanca Rubio Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2477 Chen Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2674 Schiavo Concurrence in Senate Amendments