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 sourceAB 2713 Wicks Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2782 Judiciary Concurrence in Senate Amendments By KALRA
SB 259 Wahab Third Reading Urgency By Pellerin
SB 690 Caballero Senate Third Reading By BAUER-KAHAN
SB 811 Caballero Senate Third Reading By Blanca Rubio
SB 1078 Laird Senate Third Reading By Pellerin
SB 1090 Pérez Third Reading Urgency By Harabedian
SB 1111 Ashby Senate Third Reading By Bauer-Kahan
SB 1168 McNerney Senate Third Reading By Rogers
AB 280 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 306 Schultz Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 395 Gabriel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 464 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 643 Wilson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 672 Caloza Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 685 Solache Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 706 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 750 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 883 Lowenthal Concurrence in Senate Amendments By RODRIGUEZ, C
AB 939 Schultz Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 956 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1049 Celeste Rodriguez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1165 Gipson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
With recommendation: That Senate amendments be concurred in
AB 1381 Muratsuchi Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1439 Garcia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1448 Hart Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1457 Bryan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1519 Gipson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1577 Bauer-Kahan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1615 Nguyen Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1626 Gabriel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1641 Jackson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1650 Caloza Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1679 Mark González Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1689 Quirk-Silva Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1731 Wilson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1753 Stefani Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1755 Sharp-Collins Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1766 Krell Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1770 Garcia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1836 Gabriel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1838 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1856 Wicks Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1857 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1886 Elhawary Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1889 Ramos Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1891 Connolly Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1901 Berman Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1917 Schultz Concurrence in Senate Amendments