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
4,608 events, each with its sourceAB 546 Caloza Third Reading Urgency
AB 1387 Quirk-Silva Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1338 Solache Assembly Third Reading
AB 1299 Bryan Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 940 Wicks Assembly Third Reading
AB 317 Jackson Assembly Third Reading
AB 894 Carrillo Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1346 DeMaio Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 839 Blanca Rubio Assembly Third Reading
AB 435 Wilson Assembly Third Reading
AB 1139 Rogers Assembly Third Reading
AB 1034 Ávila Farías Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1430 Bennett Assembly Third Reading
SCR 49 Wahab Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 587 Davies Assembly Third Reading
AB 875 Muratsuchi Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 302 Bauer-Kahan Assembly Third Reading
AB 447 Mark González Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 455 Ortega Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1275 Elhawary Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1322 Agriculture Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 922 Hoover Assembly Third Reading
AB 1276 Carrillo Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 43 Archuleta Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 950 Solache Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1125 Nguyen Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 729 Zbur Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 975 Gallagher Assembly Third Reading
AB 630 Mark González Assembly Third Reading
SCR 4 Umberg Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1014 Rogers Assembly Third Reading
AB 1114 Ávila Farías Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
ACR 74 Wilson Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 500 Quirk-Silva Assembly Third Reading
AB 507 Haney Assembly Third Reading
AB 1016 Jeff Gonzalez Assembly Third Reading
AB 1412 Jeff Gonzalez Assembly Third Reading
AB 1017 Boerner Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 525 Lackey Assembly Third Reading
AB 818 Ávila Farías Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1197 Calderon Assembly Third Reading
AB 1531 E.M. Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 42 Umberg Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 956 Quirk-Silva Assembly Third Reading
AB 1214 Patterson Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 953 Pacheco Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1155 Fong Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
SCR 59 Allen Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
AB 1308 Hoover Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session
ACR 83 Wilson Assembly Third Reading