(This story was updated with new information.)
Three Democratic candidates are challenging incumbent Republican Jeff Gonzalez and trying to flip a competitive seat in the California State Assembly in this year’s primary election.
Assembly District 36 includes Indio, Coachella and unincorporated Coachella Valley communities extending to the Salton Sea, along with all of Imperial County and a swath of the rural easternmost portions of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Gonzalez is seeking a second two-year term in the Assembly, after he first won election to the seat in 2024 against Coachella Valley Unified School District board member Joey Acuña Jr. The victory marked a win for local GOP officials in flipping the district, which had been represented by Democrats since 2008.
The predominantly Latino district still has a larger share of registered Democrats (40.8% of the electorate) than Republicans (28.9%), with third-party and independent voters comprising the rest of registered voters (about 30.3%), according to voter registration statistics from April.
Here’s what to know about the four candidates running for the 36th Assembly District, who are listed in alphabetical order and using their titles as provided by the California Secretary of State’s office.
Jeff Gonzalez, Republican, Assemblymember/father
Gonzalez, a business owner and former Marine who lives in Indio, told The Desert Sun he’s running for re-election “because the people of the 36th District deserve a strong voice who will always put people over politics.”
“In another term, I will continue working with anyone Republican or Democrat, if it benefits our district and delivers real results for the people we represent,” Gonzalez said. “Public service is about showing up, listening and fighting for your community every day.”
Gonzalez, who’s the vice chair of two Assembly committees, said the district faces “serious challenges, including the rising cost of living, protecting public safety, supporting economic growth, securing reliable water and energy resources, and ensuring rural communities are not ignored in Sacramento.”
“As the father of a son with severe disabilities, I’ve become a strong advocate for the disabilities community and fought against cuts that would hurt vulnerable families who depend on critical services,” Gonzalez added.
Gonzalez has endorsements from several law enforcement officials, including Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, as well as Republican U.S. Reps. Ken Calvert, Vince Fong and Jay Obernolte.
Ida S. Obeso-Martinez, Democrat, Mayor/nurse
Obeso-Martinez is currently the mayor of the city of Imperial and a cardiovascular nurse practitioner. She has gained endorsements from U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz, whose congressional district overlaps with the Assembly district, and roughly 15 state lawmakers, including Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas.
Obeso-Martinez told The Desert Sun that she’s running for the legislative seat “because the communities of District 36 deserve leadership that understands their daily challenges and will continue building on the progress and momentum that former Democratic Assemblymembers created to put our region on the map in Sacramento.”
“As Mayor of the City of Imperial and a Doctor of Nursing Practice, I have worked directly with families facing rising healthcare costs, housing insecurity, and economic hardship, and I know our communities need a strong advocate at the State Capitol,” Obeso-Martinez said.
She added that the biggest issues facing residents of the 36th include “are “affordability, access to healthcare, environmental justice, and economic opportunity.”
“Families are struggling with the high cost of housing, childcare, and basic necessities, while communities continue to face serious environmental challenges like the Salton Sea crisis and poor air quality,” Obeso-Martinez said. “If elected, I will fight for affordable healthcare and housing, stronger public education, investment in clean energy and infrastructure, and real action to protect our environment and public health while creating good-paying local jobs.”
Tomás Oliva, Democrat, Community college professor
Oliva, who teaches at Imperial Valley College, served on the El Centro City Council from 2018 to 2025, when Oliva resigned from his seat amid a clash with other councilmembers over the future of El Centro Regional Medical Center, according to local media reports. Oliva also ran for the 36th Assembly District in 2024, but did not advance past the primary.
Asked about his campaign, Oliva cited his experience working for several elected officials, including Ruiz and V. Manuel Perez during his time in the State Assembly, saying he “saw firsthand how decisions made in Sacramento affect seniors, veterans, and working families.”
“As a twice elected member of the El Centro City Council, I worked to address decades of neglect by strengthening public healthcare services and expanding opportunities for working families,” Oliva said. “Together, we helped create new parks, a new library, a new police station, and hundreds of units of affordable housing.”
“As our next Assemblymember, I will fight in Sacramento to bring home the resources our region deserves and deliver real improvements in housing, healthcare, affordability, and (everyday) public services so families finally receive the support and opportunities they have long been denied,” Oliva said.
Oscar Ortiz, Democrat, Councilmember/education director
Ortiz, who’s been on the Indio City Council since he was first elected to his seat at the age of 28 in 2018, ran for the U.S. House seat held by Raul Ruiz last year, coming in fourth in the primary election.
Ortiz told The Desert Sun he’s running for the Assembly seat “so that I can fight for the interests of working class people across this district.”
“In District 36, our families are struggling with the need for improvements in education, access to affordable healthcare, and the need for better paying jobs to endure these tough economic times,” Ortiz said.
“I have spent the past 8 years working to bring better opportunities for working families in the City of Indio, where we have transformed the city to better serve our local families and small businesses,” he added.
Ortiz, who studied chemistry at Stanford University and serves as deputy director for an environmental nonprofit, added that he hopes “to continue to use my science education and my experience as a local elected official to advocate for the needs of working families.”
“I will listen to the needs of our communities, study the issues and solutions diligently, and work to build the collaboration needed to move forward the projects that best serve the families in our region,” Ortiz said.
With vote-by-mail ballots already arriving at the homes of registered voters, California’s primary will conclude on Election Day, slated for Tuesday, June 2.
Tom Coulter covers local government and politics for The Desert Sun. Reach him at tcoulter@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Democrats take on Jeff Gonzalez for Assembly in east Coachella Valley
Reporting by Tom Coulter, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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