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 1041 Bennett Assembly Third Reading
AB 45 Bauer-Kahan Assembly Third Reading
AB 1131 Ta Assembly Third Reading
AB 736 Wicks Third Reading Urgency
ACR 88 Jeff Gonzalez Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
ACR 87 Nguyen Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1136 Ortega Assembly Third Reading
AB 1324 Sharp-Collins Assembly Third Reading
AB 1400 Soria Assembly Third Reading
AB 775 Fong Assembly Third Reading
AB 669 Haney Assembly Third Reading
AB 1485 Macedo Assembly Third Reading
AB 1329 Ortega Assembly Third Reading
AB 327 Ta Assembly Third Reading
AB 1398 Valencia Assembly Third Reading
AB 75 Calderon Assembly Third Reading
AB 1138 Zbur Assembly Third Reading
AB 468 Gabriel Assembly Third Reading
AB 1336 Addis Assembly Third Reading
AB 356 Patel Assembly Third Reading
AB 1388 Bryan Assembly Third Reading
AB 766 Sharp-Collins Assembly Third Reading
AB 1339 Mark González Assembly Third Reading
AB 670 Quirk-Silva Assembly Third Reading
AB 888 Calderon Assembly Third Reading
AB 985 Ahrens Assembly Third Reading
AB 237 Patel Assembly Third Reading
AB 742 Elhawary Assembly Third Reading
AB 695 Fong Assembly Third Reading
AB 1375 Hoover Assembly Third Reading
AB 986 Muratsuchi Assembly Third Reading
AB 598 Gipson Assembly Third Reading
AB 1145 Jeff Gonzalez Assembly Third Reading
AB 39 Zbur Assembly Third Reading
AB 538 Berman Assembly Third Reading
AB 1373 Soria Assembly Third Reading
AB 1294 Haney Assembly Third Reading
AB 1296 Bonta Assembly Third Reading
AB 797 Harabedian Third Reading Urgency
AB 489 Bonta Assembly Third Reading
AB 1307 Ávila Farías Assembly Third Reading
AB 790 Ávila Farías Assembly Third Reading
AB 1312 Schiavo Assembly Third Reading
AB 1314 Ahrens Assembly Third Reading
AB 82 Ward Assembly Third Reading
AB 785 Sharp-Collins Assembly Third Reading
AB 782 Quirk-Silva Assembly Third Reading
AB 1319 Schultz Assembly Third Reading
AB 80 Aguiar-Curry Assembly Third Reading
AB 1328 Michelle Rodriguez Assembly Third Reading