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 222 Bauer-Kahan Assembly Third Reading
AB 873 Alanis Third Reading Urgency
AB 869 Irwin Assembly Third Reading
AB 1164 Ransom Assembly Third Reading
AB 866 Ortega Assembly Third Reading
AB 864 Ward Assembly Third Reading
AB 1167 Berman Assembly Third Reading
AB 478 Zbur Assembly Third Reading
AB 11 Lee Assembly Third Reading
AB 853 Wicks Assembly Third Reading
AB 1181 Haney Assembly Third Reading
AB 851 McKinnor Third Reading Urgency
AB 1195 Quirk-Silva Assembly Third Reading
AB 849 Soria Assembly Third Reading
AB 848 Soria Assembly Third Reading
AB 1200 Caloza Assembly Third Reading
AB 847 Sharp-Collins Assembly Third Reading
AB 846 Connolly Assembly Third Reading
AB 480 Quirk-Silva Assembly Third Reading
AB 843 Garcia Assembly Third Reading
AB 1208 Addis Assembly Third Reading
AB 841 Patel Assembly Third Reading
AB 1225 Bennett Assembly Third Reading
AB 1229 Schultz Assembly Third Reading
AB 833 Alvarez Assembly Third Reading
AB 1230 Bonta Assembly Third Reading
AB 1231 Elhawary Assembly Third Reading
AB 621 Bauer-Kahan Assembly Third Reading
AB 829 Sharp-Collins Assembly Third Reading
AB 1244 Wicks Assembly Third Reading
AB 827 Berman Assembly Third Reading
AB 1251 Berman Assembly Third Reading
AB 1255 Education Third Reading Urgency By MURATSUCHI
AB 1258 Kalra Assembly Third Reading
AB 823 Boerner Assembly Third Reading
AB 822 Elhawary Assembly Third Reading
AB 1267 Pellerin Assembly Third Reading
AB 629 Ward Assembly Third Reading
AB 91 Harabedian Assembly Third Reading
AB 836 Stefani Assembly Third Reading
AB 1293 Wallis Assembly Third Reading
AB 803 Garcia Assembly Third Reading
AB 61 Pacheco Assembly Third Reading
AB 1385 Petrie-Norris Assembly Third Reading
AB 740 Harabedian Assembly Third Reading
AB 1405 Bauer-Kahan Assembly Third Reading
AB 734 Schultz Assembly Third Reading
AB 524 Wilson Assembly Third Reading
AB 1408 Irwin Assembly Third Reading
AB 731 Fong Assembly Third Reading