Fact-check: State Assembly, District 36
Checked 2026-10-28. Claims: 13. Verified: 9. Corrected: 1. Not checked yet: 2. Analysis: 1.
| # | Claim (short) | Source checked | Status | Evidence / change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mostly Imperial County and the eastern Coachella Valley, with part of eastern San Bernardino County | Wikipedia AD-36; KVCR AD-36 | Not checked yet | KVCR says only that the district covers "Riverside and San Bernardino counties" |
| 2 | Gonzalez (R, incumbent) vs. Obeso-Martinez (D), designation mayor and nurse | CA Secretary of State certified list | Verified | "Ida S. Obeso-Martinez Democratic / Mayor/Nurse"; "Jeff Gonzalez* Republican" |
| 3 | Neither answered KVCR in time | KVCR AD-36 | Verified | "No responses received in time for publication." |
| 4 | Marine veteran, small-business owner, pastor | Ballotpedia, Gonzalez | Verified (secondary) | "served in the U.S. Marine Corps"; "small business owner and pastor" |
| 5 | Won 2024 by 51.8% to 48.2% | Ballotpedia, Gonzalez | Verified (secondary) | Gonzalez 51.8%, Joey Acuña Jr. 48.2% |
| 6 | Flipped a seat Democrats held before 2024 | Wikipedia AD-36 | Not checked yet | |
| 7 | Vice chair of Military and Veterans Affairs and of Water, Parks and Wildlife | Ballotpedia, Gonzalez | Verified (secondary) | both listed |
| 8 | Raised $1.33M in 2024 | Ballotpedia, Gonzalez | Verified (secondary) | "$1,329,535" |
| 9 | No signed bills in the sources checked | Ballotpedia, Gonzalez | Verified | "Sponsored legislation" section lists no bills |
| 10 | Obeso-Martinez led Democrats with 24.1%; field split three ways; Gonzalez 44.6% | Ballotpedia, Gonzalez | Verified (secondary) | Gonzalez 44.6%; Obeso-Martinez 24.1%; Oscar Ortiz 22.0%; Tomás Oliva 9.3% |
| 11 | Three Democrats' total (55%) above his 44.6% | Ballotpedia | Verified | 24.1 + 22.0 + 9.3 = 55.4% |
| 12 | Box heading "A two-point seat" next to a 3.6-point margin | Ballotpedia | Corrected | Heading changed to "A close seat" to match the 3.6-point margin |
| 13 | Opinion line (real contest; silence a problem) | n/a | Analysis | Premises above check out |