Marine-Turned-Legislator Lights Capitol Red, White, and Blue

When Assemblyman Jeff Gonzalez arrived at the California State Capitol, he assumed someone had already planned a celebration for the nation’s 250th anniversary. It’s Independence Day, after all. Turns out, no one had. So he decided to do something about it.

Gonzalez is one of five veterans currently serving in the state legislature—the only one in the Assembly—and his military background shaped how he approached the problem. Over two decades in the Marine Corps, he completed four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, served on diplomatic assignments in Honduras and the Czech Republic, and traveled with the Secretary of State through Africa and Europe. But it’s his personal reckoning with tragedy that drives his advocacy today. Ten of his Marines died by suicide. He came close to being the eleventh, but what he calls his“dental floss of faith”kept him anchored. That experience led him to become a pastor and small business owner, and eventually, a legislator determined to serve his community differently.

For America 250, Gonzalez refused to accept“no one’s ever done that”as an answer. Working with his team, he pushed to light the state Capitol rotunda red, white, and blue—something that had never happened before. He coordinated military flyovers, a celebration featuring a military medley, and turned the Capitol grounds into a genuine tribute to the nation’s history. The event happened Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

But this isn’t just about spectacle. Gonzalez co-founded the California Legislative Veterans Caucus, a bipartisan group of advocates who leave party politics at the door to focus on what serves military members, veterans, and their families. His partnership with Senator Caroline Menjivar, a Democrat and fellow Marine, exemplifies the approach:“We come together; we leave that party stuff off to the side.”In a country drowning in division, it’s a quiet but powerful statement.

His message to Californians as the nation enters its 251st year is deceptively simple: slow down. Stop chasing division. Be thankful for a nation that, while imperfect, offers freedom that many parts of the world don’t. His father immigrated from Oaxaca, Mexico, worked multiple jobs, and built a life here. Gonzalez honored that sacrifice by serving in uniform. Now he’s asking the state to honor it together, united not as Republicans or Democrats, but as Californians and Americans. That’s not nostalgia or patriotic theater. That’s a Marine asking the legislature to remember what actually binds us.