Reasons why voters should not rank Rene Gonzalez for Portland’s Mayor

Dishonest with voters, taxpayers

• Gonzalez inappropriately used public funds. He spent thousands of taxpayer dollars to hire a firm to polish his image by editing content on his Wikipedia page ahead of his run for mayor. 

• He lied about being assaulted on the MAX. In February, Gonzalez released a statement that he was no longer going to ride the MAX light rail because another passenger assaulted him. A reporter requested the video from TriMet, and we learned he was lying. 

• Gonzalez thinks the rules don’t apply to him. He has been investigated twice for campaign finance violations, most recently for using public funds for his campaign. The City investigator called it a “very close call” whether Gonzalez broke campaign regulations and referred the issue to the Oregon Secretary of State for further investigation. During his election race for Commissioner, Gonzalez received a dramatically discounted rent for his campaign office.

Making our communities less safe

• Undermined public safety by dismantling Portland Street Response. While Portland is grappling with fentanyl and mental health crises, Gonzalez cut funding and staff for Portland Street Response, our city’s expert team of trained professionals helping people struggling in our city with mental and behavioral issues. Before Gonzalez took over, Portland Street Response was seen as a national model and was expected to expand its service 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

• He misused 911 to falsely accuse a Black woman of assault while wait times remained worse than the national average. As a Commissioner, he highlighted the need to call 911 only in a real emergency. Yet, Gonzalez called 911 and alerted local media to accuse a Black woman of “assaulting” him on a MAX light rail train. Later, security footage of the incident showed he was lying. The Oregonian merged the 911 audio file with the TriMet video incident. Visit the reference page to see links this and other incidents.

• Banned PSR from providing lifesaving supplies during a winter storm. One of Gonzalez’s first acts in office this year was to order Portland Street Response to stop distributing tents, food, and clothes when insufficient shelter was available. Two people died when temperatures reached as low as 25 degrees.

Connections to extremists, conservative movements

• Supported anti-LBGTQ school board candidates: Gonzalez’s nonprofit ED300 endorsed more than a dozen anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ school board candidates. He is comfortable working with right-wing extremists, aligning with groups like Moms for Liberty and Parents Rights in Education to elect school board candidates. He said he would “do it again in a heartbeat.”

• Connections to right-wing fringe groups. Gonzalez has become the candidate of right-wing fringe groups, including conspiracy theorist and provocateur Andy Ngo, Ben Edtl of “Free Oregon,” and members of Patriot Prayer, a hate group being tracked by the Southern Poverty Law Center. On X/Twitter, Gonzalez uplifted conspiracy theorist Ngo and called the city’s consideration of impacts on low-income communities and communities of color “permanent racial grievance.”

Beholden to corporate interests

• Funded by large corporations, CEOs, and millionaires. His campaign has received large donations and independent support from millionaires, investors, and CEOs—the same funders who bankrolled People for Portland, which created a cynical and divisive campaign that tore Portland down during the last few years.

• Tried to overturn voter-approved charter reforms. After nearly 60 percent of Portland voters mandated reforms to the city’s government structure, Gonzalez proposed amending these pro-democracy reforms 18 months before they were scheduled to be implemented. Wealthy interests funding his campaign opposed these reforms when they were on the ballot.

• Tried to undo climate resilience investments as his corporate donors requested. For months this year, Gonzalez floated proposals to undo voter-approved climate resilience investments to weatherize homes and businesses for seniors and low-income families as we grapple with climate change. This program is funded by a surcharge on the largest corporations doing business in Portland.

Ineffective at governing

• “More talk than accomplishment.” While the city continues to struggle with homelessness, drug use and the cost of living, an OPB profile said Gonzalez has “made himself scarce in City Hall.” The Willamette Week has noted that Gonzalez is “more talk than accomplishment.”

• 911 wait times have remained far worse than the national average on his watch. Gonzalez says he prioritizes public safety and promised immediate solutions, yet 911 response times have remained far worse than the national average while he was in charge of our 911 system.

• Portland Firefighter overtime skyrocketed under his supervision, costing the city millions. His answer to this financial challenge was to implement a hiring freeze on another valuable public safety program, Portland Street Response, against the better judgment of other council members.

• Shown disregard for many union workers. In a city where labor unions are valued and highly regarded, Gonzalez has refused to meet with the thousands of mental health workers,  janitors, hospital and nursing home workers, security guards, home care workers, and employees in and around the city of Portland, saying, “I don’t feel that’s a ring I want to kiss.” 

• Played politics with the homeless response plan. While an estimated 6,000 Portlanders are forced to live outside because we don’t have enough shelter space or affordable housing, Gonzalez held the region’s Homeless Response Plan hostage until the County agreed to temporarily stop purchasing tarps, tents, and other lifesaving supplies for people who are forced to live outside.