Records Show Rene Gonzalez Frequently Ticketed for Speeding, Often Failed to Show up in Court and Twice Had License Suspended

In his campaign for mayor, city Commissioner Rene Gonzalez has carved out a clear position for himself: He is the law-and-order candidate, racking up endorsements from the Portland Police Association, the Multnomah County Deputy Sheriffs Association, and district attorneys from Clackamas and Washington counties, and Multnomah County District Attorney-elect Nathan Vasquez.

“Rene has been a champion for public safety on the City Council,” his campaign website reads. “He is working to create an environment where law enforcement is visible, effective, and accountable...[and] to make Portland the safest city in America.”

But a review of court records shows that Gonzalez has at times taken a more cavalier attitude toward following the law.

Starting in 1998, Gonzalez racked up seven speeding tickets in Oregon (one was dismissed); twice had his driving license suspended (in 1998 and 2003); and was cited four times for failure to display current registration on his vehicle.

After being cited for driving while suspended in 2004, Gonzalez wrote to a Multnomah County Court judge seeking relief. “I wasn’t aware DMV had suspended my license,” he wrote. “All told, one speeding ticket has resulted in approximately $900 in fines and DMV charges.” The judge denied his motion for relief from failure to appear in court but did reduce his fine.

In 2014, records show, a TriMet fare inspector cited Gonzalez for not having a valid ticket on a MAX train.

In a written explanation he provided to Multnomah County Circuit Court on Feb. 25, 2014, Gonzalez said he regularly rode TriMet buses but got confused trying to use a bus ticket on the train. And after the fare inspector ticketed him, he lost the ticket.

“I did not appear [in court] because I had misplaced the citation,” Gonzalez wrote. “[I] was meeting a colleague who had tickets to a Blazers game and felt stuck in a catch-22; risk being further late (had difficulty finding a legal parking spot near the TriMet stop). Additionally, starting my own business, which I why I was so adamant about finding inexpensive but legal parking for the game.”

None of the citations received Gonzalez involved alcohol or resulted in an accident or injury to any other person, but court records show that Gonzalez, a lawyer who became a member of the Oregon State Bar and an officer of the court in 2000, failed to show up in court on other occasions in addition to those cited above.

He’s not alone in showing a disregard for traffic laws: As The Oregonian reported today, his City Council colleague and rival mayoral candidate Commissioner Carmen Rubio managed to get her driver’s license suspended a whopping six times while racking up 150 parking and traffic violations.

In a statement, Gonzalez, who got his last speeding ticket in 2013, says he has matured.

“As a younger man, I sometimes drove too fast,” Gonzalez says. “But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more responsible and it is reflected in my record. Those of us in public service should always strive to do better and lead by example.”