IMPERIAL — In the cozy setting of Brickhouse Coffee in Imperial, Assemblymember Jeff Gonzalez sits with a calm demeanor. Wrapping up his first term in the California State Assembly, Gonzalez, a Marine Corps veteran and former pastor, reflected on his biggest victories, lessons learned, and the challenges still ahead for the Imperial Valley.

“I ran this so that I can fight for my son with special needs. And when we heard that the Governor was going to cut $700 million from in-home supportive services, I knew I was here at the right time, at the right place to fulfill what I had been talking about.”

That fight, he explained, turned into a defining moment of his freshman term.

“We fought and we made sure to talk to everybody across the aisle and talk about how important it is to not cut $7

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