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
4,861 events, each with its sourceAB 113 GABRIEL Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1128 Muratsuchi Concurrence in Senate Amendments
SB 931 Grove Third Reading Urgency By Krell
AB 28 Schiavo Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 187 BUDGET Concurrence in Senate Amendments By GABRIEL
AB 190 BUDGET Concurrence in Senate Amendments By GABRIEL
AB 192 BUDGET Concurrence in Senate Amendments By GABRIEL
AB 353 BOERNER Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 605 Muratsuchi Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 611 LEE Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 664 Alvarez Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 760 Ta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 817 GONZÁLEZ, M. Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 904 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1099 Bryan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1156 WICKS Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1159 Addis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1199 Patterson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1294 Haney Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1301 PETRIE-NORRIS Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1307 Ávila Farías Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1331 Elhawary Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1349 BRYAN Concurrence in Senate Amendments Move The Previous Question By AGUIAR-CURRY
AB 1349 BRYAN Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1546 SCHULTZ Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1575 Arambula Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1609 Zbur Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1642 HARABEDIAN Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1646 Bryan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1680 Calderon Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1707 Davies Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1709 Lowenthal Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1795 GIPSON Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1813 Ward Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1816 Davies Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1841 Ramos Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1871 Fong Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1896 GONZÁLEZ, M. Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1969 BONTA Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1976 Wicks Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 1981 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2012 Hoover Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2020 Gabriel Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2047 Bauer-Kahan Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2059 Wilson Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2061 Chen Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2065 Petrie-Norris Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2071 Hoover Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2086 Ellis Concurrence in Senate Amendments
AB 2103 Irwin Concurrence in Senate Amendments