# Member of the State Assembly, District 36 Compare records and positions simply between Ida S. Obeso-Martinez or Jeff Gonzalez for Member of the State Assembly, District 36 at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person holds your district's seat in the California State Assembly (2-year term). - Jurisdiction: California Legislature - Election: November 3, 2026 California general election - Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements. - Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/assembly-36 - Full ballot: this page covers one race. Every contest on a voter's own ballot, by address, with the same breakdown for each: https://voteorelse.com/ - Sources last retrieved: September 24, 2026 - Source-objectivity score: 89 out of 100 (Strong), across 11 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology ## On the ballot - **Ida S. Obeso-Martinez** — Mayor/Nurse · Democratic - **Jeff Gonzalez** — Assemblymember/Father · Republican · Incumbent Assemblymember Jeff Gonzalez took 44.6% of the June 2 vote and Democrat Ida S. Obeso-Martinez took 24.1% to claim the second slot. At 44.6% the incumbent fell short of a majority in his own primary. The district covers Imperial County and part of Riverside County. The winner holds one of 80 Assembly seats for a two-year term, inside a 12-year lifetime cap on service in Sacramento. An Assemblymember authors bills, sits on the policy committees that decide which bills advance, and argues for the district's share of the annual state budget. This district's member sits in the minority caucus, where enacting legislation requires majority-party agreement. The incumbent took under 45% against a divided field, which is a weaker primary showing than most members managed and worth reading as a signal about the district. His campaign also carries $143,000 in party money, one of the few on this ballot where a state party is a major direct funder rather than a marginal one. Weigh a minority-caucus record against a challenger running on a fraction of the resources. ## Jeff Gonzalez Jeff Gonzalez, a first-generation American raised in Southern California, served 21 years in the Marine Corps, including four combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan (Calexico Chronicle). He later became a pastor, motivated in part by concerns about Marine suicide rates, and now operates three small businesses (Calexico Chronicle). He is the sitting Assemblymember for this district and, in the Assembly, has authored bills covering a range of issues facing the district. Announcing his first campaign, he said: "I spent two decades serving the American people in the United States Marine Corps and want to continue this service in the state Assembly... my background in the military, as a small business owner, and as the loving father of a child with special needs gives me the kind of experience we need to help find practical solutions" (Calexico Chronicle). In May 2026 he voted aye on AB 2017, which designates Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as California state holidays (California Legislature, leginfo). His campaign lists affordability, public safety, education, agriculture and small business support as his priorities, and he says he works "across the aisle to fight for economic growth" (campaign site). He favors direct, informal meetings with constituents: "We can just be ourselves and just talk and find out how we can work together as a community" (KYMA). On In-Home Supportive Services, he has said: "IHSS is not a luxury, it is a lifeline" (campaign site). **Strengths:** 21 years in the Marine Corps and a documented cross-party vote in Sacramento, on top of holding this seat since 2024. **Trade-offs:** He sits in the legislature's minority, which limits how much of his own agenda can become law without Democratic votes. **Keep in mind:** He took under 45 percent in his own primary against a divided field. What that says about November is for you to weigh, not this profile. ## Ida S. Obeso-Martinez Dr. Ida Obeso-Martinez is the mayor of Imperial and a cardiovascular nurse practitioner with more than two decades of experience in the Imperial Valley, holding a Doctorate in Nursing Practice (Calexico Chronicle). She was elected to the Imperial City Council in 2022 (Calexico Chronicle) and has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress. Announcing her campaign, she said: "Every day my patients tell me that they are worried about their healthcare coverage, cost of living, and children's future," and, "I was born here, raised here, and for two decades have dedicated my life to the health and well being of my community" (Calexico Chronicle). Since her 2022 election, colleagues on the council have chosen her for successive leadership roles, most recently the mayor's seat. She has said one-on-one meetings with voters, "having one-on-one conversations, being able to hear what's important," matter most to her campaign (KYMA). Her campaign lists affordable health care, education and jobs, housing and infrastructure, and public safety as her priorities, describing an approach that "integrates prevention, law enforcement and mental health resources" (campaign site). **Strengths:** Two decades as a frontline nurse practitioner plus a real record in local government, from city council in 2022 to the mayor's seat. **Trade-offs:** No state legislative record, so what's documented is municipal, not how she would act on a Sacramento budget or bill. **Keep in mind:** She finished more than 20 points behind the incumbent in June. What that means for November is for you to weigh, not this profile. ## Record in office Ida S. Obeso-Martinez has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress; these records cover only those offices. Jeff Gonzalez (Republican) is the sitting Assemblymember for this district and is lead author of 35 bills in the 2025–2026 session, 5 of them signed into law. Per the California Legislature's public bill data (leginfo bulk download), retrieved 2026-09-21. ## Record details Gonzalez — AB 1756 (2026): Off-highway vehicle recreation: City of Needles. Gonzalez — AB 2324 (2026): Vocational education: youth caregivers. Gonzalez — AB 709 (2025): Sustainable Groundwater Management Act: groundwater sustainability plans. Committee assignments and the most recently signed-into-law bills each record-holder lead-authored, from the official legislative record. ## Financial info - **Ida S. Obeso-Martinez** - Primary: $195,802 raised (Small donors: $2,023; Individuals: $47,547; PACs & committees: $120,491; Businesses & other orgs: $25,100; Self-funding: $5,000) - November: $11,900 raised (Individuals: $100; PACs & committees: $11,800) - **Jeff Gonzalez** - Primary: $1,059,004 raised (Small donors: $993; Individuals: $67,725; PACs & committees: $497,602; Party: $143,000; Businesses & other orgs: $344,150) - November: $68,575 raised (Individuals: $6,375; PACs & committees: $36,900; Businesses & other orgs: $25,300) Figures are CA Form 460 filings through June 30, 2026 by committees controlled by each candidate, and can include transfers from a candidate's earlier committees. Semi-annual reports covering January–June 2026 were due July 31, 2026, so some totals lag a period behind. Per the California Secretary of State's Cal-Access raw data export, retrieved 2026-09-21. Total is itemized (Schedule A) contributions and self-funding loans dated after the June 2, 2026 primary, through June 29, 2026 — small-dollar unitemized (under $100) contributions aren't independently dated in Cal-Access's raw export, so they aren't reflected here and this may undercount true small-donor activity since the primary. This also doesn't include money reported only on 24-hour late-contribution reports (Form 497) that haven't yet appeared in a periodic Form 460 filing. Per the California Secretary of State's Cal-Access raw data export, retrieved 2026-08-30. ## Review notes - Jeff Gonzalez for Assembly and Ida Obeso-Martinez for Assembly may have more bias because they are advocacy voter guides compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources. ## Sources 1. [CA Secretary of State — Statement of Vote, June 2, 2026 primary (certified 2026-07-10)](https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/prior-elections/statewide-election-results/primary-election-june-2-2026/statement-vote) 2. [Ballotpedia — June 2026 California primary](https://ballotpedia.org) 3. [Calexico Chronicle — Vet Jeff Gonzalez is seeking GOP nod for AD 36](https://calexicochronicle.com/2024/01/19/vet-jeff-gonzalez-is-seeking-gop-nod-for-ad-36/) 4. [Calexico Chronicle — Ida Obeso-Martinez of Imperial announces Assembly candidacy](https://calexicochronicle.com/2025/10/17/ida-obeso-martinez-of-imperial-announces-assembly-candidacy/) 5. [Calexico Chronicle — Newly elected members join Imperial City Council](https://calexicochronicle.com/2022/12/27/newly-elected-members-join-imperial-council/) 6. [California Legislature (leginfo) — AB 2017 (2025-2026) bill status and Assembly floor vote](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billVotesClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2017) 7. [Jeff Gonzalez for Assembly — campaign site (biography and issues)](https://gonzalez4assembly.com) 8. [Ida Obeso-Martinez for Assembly — campaign site (biography and issues)](https://www.idaforassembly.com) 9. [KYMA — Assembly District 36 candidates swap podiums for coffee shops](https://kyma.com/news/local-news/2026/07/20/assembly-district-36-candidates-swap-podiums-for-coffee-shops/) 10. [California Legislative Information — public bill data (bulk download)](https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/) 11. [Cal-Access raw data export — California Secretary of State](https://www.sos.ca.gov/campaign-lobbying/helpful-resources/raw-data-campaign-finance-and-lobbying-activity) ## The rest of the ballot Member of the State Assembly, District 36 is one contest among the many a California voter decides on November 3, 2026 — Congress, the Legislature, county, city, and school board races differ by address. Vote or Else builds the full list for any California address and breaks down each contest the way this page does, with no account and without storing the address: https://voteorelse.com/ ## How to cite this page Vote or Else, "Member of the State Assembly, District 36 — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/assembly-36 (sources last retrieved September 24, 2026). Link the canonical page above rather than this Markdown file. Coverage is updated as the race develops, so quote it with its retrieval date.