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Rene Gonzalez (politician)

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Rene Gonzalez
Portland City Commissioner
Assumed office
January 1, 2023
Preceded byJo Ann Hardesty
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
Children3
Residence(s)Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Alma materWillamette University (BA, JD)
OccupationAttorney, entrepreneur
WebsiteOfficial website
Campaign website

Rene Gonzalez is an American entrepreneur and politician who has served on the Portland, Oregon City Council since January 2023. He challenged incumbent commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty in the 2022 election,[1] running on a platform that emphasized law and order and livability.[2] In December 2023, Gonzalez announced his plans to run for Mayor of Portland.[3]

Early life and career

Gonzalez was raised in Anchorage, Alaska, where his father worked as a trial judge and federal prosecutor.[4] In 1993, Gonzalez moved to Salem, Oregon to attend Willamette University, where he was elected president of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and played varsity soccer.[5] After obtaining his bachelor's degree, he continued at Willamette's law school to obtain a Juris Doctor degree.[5]

Gonzalez started his legal career at Stoel Rives, a regional law firm.[6] After Stoel Rives, he moved to KinderCare Learning Centers, where he served in legal advising and corporate strategy roles. He no longer holds a license to practice law.[7] Following KinderCare, Gonzalez founded a technology consulting company called Eastbank Artifex that primarily sells Microsoft software services.[8][4]

Prior to running for office, Gonzalez was known locally for founding United PDX, a youth soccer club in the city of Portland, and for organizing ED300, a political action committee working to support school board candidates that were focused on reopening public schools in the wake of the pandemic.[4]

Portland City Council

Council race

Gonzalez ran for the Portland City Commissioner seat in 2022 against incumbent Hardesty. As of November 9, he garnered 54.3% of the vote versus 45.4% for Hardesty, leading to The Oregonian to declare him the winner and Hardesty to concede.[1][9][10]

Gonzalez ran a campaign largely focused on combating homelessness, crime, and investing in revitalization of downtown. In particular, he and Hardesty had starkly different approaches to policing and how to address homelessness.[10][11] Gonzalez was endorsed by the editorial boards of The Oregonian, Willamette Week, and the Portland Tribune, as well as the Portland Police Association, Portland Firefighters Union, and the Portland Chamber of Commerce.[12][11] During the race, his campaign attracted some controversy for incurring a fine from the city's elections program for accepting discounted office space, but the fine was later overturned in court for failing to prove that the rent was in fact below market rate.[13][14]

Though both candidates were registered Democrats,[8] during the campaign Hardesty attacked Gonzalez as right wing, with ties to Republican political consultants and conservative school board candidates supported by the political action committee he organized.[13] The Hardesty campaign provided extensive documentation proving the connections. The Portland Mercury criticized Gonzalez for posting an election thank you to supporters on his Twitter and tagging Quincy Franklin, a member of the far-right-wing group Patriot Prayer.[15]

Council term

Gonzalez's term began on January 1, 2023. The transition was headed by Tom Miller, a former chief of staff for former mayor Sam Adams.[16] Gonzalez will serve a two-year term. [10] Gonzalez was assigned management of Portland Fire & Rescue and other emergency services, excluding the police department.[17][18] According to a 2024 interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting, Gonzalez stated that he considers it a "success" that he banned fire bureau and Portland Street Response staff from distributing tents and tarps.[19] Mayor Ted Wheeler appointed Gonzalez to be Portland City Council's representative on the Steering Committee Overseeing the Joint Office of Homeless Services.[20] Gonzalez first proposed an amendment to Mayor Wheeler's camping ban that included up to a year in jail for rule-breakers, before transitioning to a proposal that removed the proposed criminal penalty for violating the camping ban, but still proposing large fines. The amendment failed and the criminal penalty was imposed.[21] In January 2024, Gonzalez announced the creation of a new drug overdose treatment response team pilot program to help address the city's drug crisis.[22]

Personal life

Gonzalez is married to Angie, whom he met in college and who currently works as an office manager.[5] Together they have three children[5] and lives in the Eastmoreland neighborhood of Portland.[23] He identifies as half-Latino,[5] as his father is Mexican-American and his mother is white.[4]

Controversies

Prior to a historic cold snap, he ordered staff with the Portland Street Response to stop distributing tents to unhoused Portlanders and instead encouraged them to seek out shelters. There were, at the time, over 5,000 unhoused individuals with 2000 shelter beds available.[24] Gonzalez went on to attempt to drastically cut funding for the popular Portland Street Response program started by his predecessor and, after criticism, eventually agreed to move the program out of his portfolio.[25][26][27]

Gonzalez announced in a February 2024 video on social media that he would no longer use public transit because he claimed he faced "deliberate, unwanted physical contact" while riding the Orange Line of the MAX on his way to work.[28] It was later revealed in TriMet video obtained by The Oregonian that any contact by the passenger on the train was likely unintentional and was followed by a short conversation about Gonzalez's policy positions.[29][30]

In August 2024, The Oregonian reported that Gonzalez spent $6,400 of city taxpayer dollars to hire a contractor, WhiteHatWiki, to make edit requests for his Wikipedia page in an effort to "spruce up his profile" as part of his mayoral bid.[31]

References

  1. ^ a b Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon (November 9, 2022). "Rene Gonzalez, with law-and-order focus, ousts Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty in contentious City Council race". OregonLive. Oregonian Media Group. Archived from the original on November 10, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  2. ^ Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon (October 19, 2022). "Only Portland City Council race on fall ballot features Rene Gonzalez and Jo Ann Hardesty, stark opposites on multiple dimensions". OregonLive. Oregonian Media Group. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  3. ^ "Rene Gonzalez announces run for Portland mayor next year". Portland, Ore.: KGW. December 7, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Peel, Sophie (October 12, 2022). "Rene Gonzalez Would Return Portland to a Simpler Time: 2019. To Many Voters, That's an Appealing Offer". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e Ellis, Rebecca (October 20, 2022). "Portland City Council candidate Rene Gonzalez pledges 'tough love' in bet voters are moving to the center". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  6. ^ Boddie, Ken (February 3, 2022). "Business lawyer Gonzalez challenges Hardesty for spot on city council". Portland, Ore.: KOIN. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  7. ^ "Portland City Council candidate Rene Gonzalez answers OPB's questions". Oregon Public Broadcasting. October 20, 2022. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Hernandez, Rolando (October 13, 2022). "REBROADCAST: Portland City Council Debate: Incumbent Jo Ann Hardesty and Rene Gonzalez". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  9. ^ Ferrara, John Ross (November 9, 2022). "Jo Ann Hardesty concedes, Rene Gonzalez announces victory in Portland City Council commissioner race". Portland, Ore.: KOIN. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c Peel, Sophie (November 9, 2022). "City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty Concedes to Rene Gonzalez". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on November 10, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Ellis, Rebecca (November 8, 2022). "Gonzalez takes early lead over Hardesty in Portland City Council race". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on November 10, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  12. ^ "Editorial endorsement November 2022: Rene Gonzalez is voters' best choice for Portland City Council". OregonLive. Oregonian Media Group. October 9, 2022. Archived from the original on November 19, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Peel, Sophie (November 6, 2022). "City Council Race Gets Even More Hostile as Election Day Approaches". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on November 10, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  14. ^ "OAH Case No. 2022-ABC-05629" (PDF). State of Oregon Office of Administrative Hearings. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  15. ^ Humphrey, Wm. Steven (November 11, 2022). "Good Morning, News: TriMet Wants Fare Increase, Drazan Won't Admit She Lost, and Gonzalez Deletes Problematic Tweet—But We've Got the Receipt". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on August 6, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  16. ^ Maus, Jonathan (November 15, 2022). "Tom Miller hired as transition team leader for Rene Gonzalez". Bike Portland. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2024.[self-published source]
  17. ^ Peel, Sophie (January 11, 2023). "We Asked City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez How He'll Handle the Crises Facing the Fire Bureau". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  18. ^ "Portfolios, Liaison Responsibilities, and Bureau Directors | Portland.gov". www.portland.gov. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  19. ^ Zielinski, Alex (March 12, 2024). "Rene Gonzalez's first year: On the offensive, but not always on target". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  20. ^ Peel, Sophie (July 22, 2024). "Mayor Selects Rene Gonzalez to Serve on Steering Committee Overseeing Joint Office of Homeless Services". Willamette Week. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  21. ^ Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon (April 25, 2024). "After City Hall showdown, Portland leaders advance mayor's scaled-back homeless camping ban". OregonLive. Oregonian Media Group. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  22. ^ Ferrara, John Ross (January 3, 2024). "Mayoral candidate Rene Gonzalez announces creation of 'Overdose Response Team'". Portland, Ore.: KOIN. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  23. ^ "Portland police investigating car fire in front of Commissioner Gonzalez's house". opb. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  24. ^ Zielinski, Alex (February 15, 2023). "New Commissioner Rene Gonzalez bans Portland Street Response from distributing tents". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  25. ^ Best, Blair (February 5, 2024). "$3M could potentially be cut from Portland Street Response". Portland, Ore.: KGW. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  26. ^ Vaughn, Courtney (January 11, 2024). "Commissioner Gonzalez Shows Little Interest in Heeding Auditor's Recommendations for Portland Street Response". Portland Mercury. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  27. ^ Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon (March 1, 2024). "Commissioner Rene Gonzalez looks to dump Portland Street Response from his City Hall portfolio". OregonLive. Oregonian Media Group. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  28. ^ "Commissioner Rene Gonzalez says he was 'accosted' on TriMet MAX train". Fox 12 Oregon. KPTV. February 5, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  29. ^ Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon (February 12, 2024). "Portland Commissioner Rene Gonzalez says he faced 'deliberate, unwanted physical contact' aboard a MAX train. Here's what video shows". OregonLive. Oregonian Media Group. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  30. ^ Rawlings, Matt (February 12, 2024). "Video shows moment Rene Gonzalez claims he was 'accosted' on MAX train". Portland, Ore.: KOIN. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  31. ^ Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon (August 7, 2024). "Portland Commissioner Rene Gonzalez spent thousands in city funds to polish Wikipedia page". OregonLive. Oregonian Media Group. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
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