Fall 2020

Rene Gonzalez forms ED300—a parent activist group designed to pressure lawmakers, state agencies, and public officials to send children back to school… during the height of the deadliest part of the pandemic, and long before COVID vaccines were available. Later ED300 would endorse Oregon school board candidates who held anti-trans/Islamist beliefs, were against marriage equality, and/or endorsed by anti-LGBTQ and pro-abortion groups.

September 2022

During his campaign for city commissioner, Gonzalez is accused of violating the spirit of Portland’s Small Donors Election program (and the law) by accepting a $6,900-per-month downtown campaign office space from local billionaire Jordan Schnitzer for the low, low price of only $250 per month. After an administrative judge ruled in favor of Gonzalez, the Elections Office chose to drop their fines as well.

October 2022

Gonzalez begins his Twitter campaign to demonize/criminalize the homeless (AKA “those who prey on our compassion”).

November 2022

Thanks to a cash infusion of at least $360,000 from the wealthy “Portland Accountability” PAC, and stoking voters’ largely misplaced fears of crime and homeless people, Gonzalez defeats the first Black woman on City Council (also widely seen as their most effective member), Jo Ann Hardesty, by a nine-point margin in the race for her council seat.

November 2022

Gonzalez shows love on Twitter for right-wing MAGA enthusiast and Patriot Prayer member Quincy Franklin.

January 2023

The city auditor’s office releases a scathing report on how the fire bureau (controlled by Gonzalez) mismanaged the popular Portland Street Response (PSR) program, noting the bureau’s “inconsistent commitment to the programs and their potential.” Previously, during his 2022 campaign for council, Gonzalez promised to support “unarmed public safety alternatives” like PSR.

February 2023

Gonzalez orders PSR to stop handing out life-saving tents in the dead of winter. 

April 2023

At least one PSR staffer resigns after Gonzalez orders the team to assist in homeless sweeps. 

April 2023

Gonzalez and Commissioner Mingus Mapps attempt to sabotage Portland’s switch to ranked choice voting, claiming that Portland voters aren’t smart enough to understand it.

June 2023

Gonzalez dismisses a Portland State University evaluation of PSR, which recommended increasing staffing levels, providing more support, and soothing ongoing tensions between staff and rank-and-file firefighters. Besides ignoring the report, Gonzalez also refuses to bring the evaluation before City Council for consideration.

June 2023

Gonzalez accuses members of PSR of being “police abolitionists.” 

July 2023

Commissioner Dan Ryan joins Gonzalez in another attempt to torpedo Charter Reform by attempting to reduce the number of new city council members, nix ranked choice voting, and give the mayor more power. It did not end well for them. In fact, the co-founder of Ranked Choice Voting Oregon, noted that their last-minute subterfuge made council look like occupants of “a clown car.”

July 2023

Gonzalez stops the proposed expansion of PSR to operate 24-hours per day in order to “work out the kinks,” which—on top of incoming fire chief Ryan Gillespie putting a hold on ordering clothes and food boxes for houseless people, while also enacting a PSR hiring freeze—possibly led to the departure of PSR manager Robyn Burek.

January 2024

Gonzalez calls 911 claiming a woman of color “accosted” him on a MAX train, and subjected him to “deliberate, unwanted physical contact.” Surveillance video clearly showed he was barely brushed up against, if touched at all. 

February 2024

Gonzalez attempts to take $12 million from the Portland Clean Energy Fund—which taxpayers voted would be used only for climate-related initiatives—to shore up the financially strapped public service bureaus under his watch.

March 2024

Using $6,400 in taxpayer dollars, Gonzalez instructs his staff to work with a consultant to edit his Wikipedia page—primarily to remove unsavory entries. The move led to public complaints and a campaign finance investigation that auditors initially closed, but then reopened in early October after obtaining new evidence. The matter was also forwarded to the Secretary of State for further investigation.

June 2024

Gonzalez continues his crusade to keep the county from distributing tents to the homeless, saying the county’s efforts to provide life-saving shelter was “enabling self-destructive behavior.”

July 2024

Gonzalez again platforms a far-right figure, re-posting provocateur Andy Ngo’s criticism of Portland and its antifascist protesters.

July 2024

During a City Council meeting regarding a lawsuit in which a protester was injured by cops, Gonzalez proposed limiting public criticism of the police in City Council meetings which are public. His suggestion was met by fellow council members with silence.

August 2024

When a federal judge ruled that the current City Council would not be allowed to appoint members to the nominating committee for the new civilian-run police oversight board, Gonzalez accused the judge of “judicial overreach” while wrongly accusing former Commissioner (and rival) Jo Ann Hardesty of being a “police abolitionist.” During his 2022 campaign for commissioner, Gonzalez promised to “openly embrace strong citizen oversight of Portland police.”

August 2024

Gonzalez’s obsession with the candidate he defeated two years prior continues, tweeting (once again without evidence) that former Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty “speaks for anarchists, DSA, & advocacy class.”

September 2024

Gonzalez continues to exert pressure on the county to limit the distribution of tents and other life-saving materials to the houseless, suggesting that every tent should come complete with a large yellow label with the words “County Funded Tent,” and workers should put the houseless person’s name and location on record.

October 2024

Gonzalez—along with Mingus Mapps, and Dan Ryan—ask the city attorney to compose an ordinance that would dissolve Portland's homelessness agreement with Multnomah County... even though they admit they don't have a replacement plan in place, and their plan (which doesn't exist) wouldn't take effect until the new City Council (who could easily overturn it) is in office. 

October 2024

After initially closing their investigation due to lack of evidence, the city’s Auditor’s Office reversed their decision, fining Gonzalez’ mayoral campaign $2,400 for using $6,400 in taxpayer money to clean up his personal Wikipedia page. The Wiki edits were intended to make the former Republican look more like a Democrat, and less like someone who has shown love to right wing instigators. The auditor’s office also noted that Gonzalez “demonstrated a pattern of obstruction and interference in the investigation” by withholding evidence and then lying about its existence.

To be continued.