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Uber isn't the only ride-hailing company under scrutiny for whether it followed Portland City Hall's lobbying rules.
On Sept. 17, City Auditor Mary Hull Caballero issued a warning letter to Lyft for failing to file quarterly statements about its lobbying of Portland officials, including Mayor Charlie Hales.
Newly submitted forms show Lyft spent more than $55,000 between January and June, pressing city officials to allow it to operate permanently in Portland.
An additional twist? Amy Ruiz, who worked as a spokeswoman for previous Mayor Sam Adams, represents Lyft in Portland. Adams enacted Portland's lobbying rules while he was a city commissioner.
Chelsea Wilson, a spokeswoman for Lyft, says Ruiz informed Lyft of its oversight when she came on board. Wilson, though, declined to say when Lyft hired Ruiz. "As soon as Lyft became aware of Portland's lobbying requirements," Wilson says, "we worked quickly to get into compliance."
Lyft's late filings list a phone call between Lyft's California lobbyist and Hales on Jan. 13, 2015. It also lists a Feb. 25, 2015 personal meeting with Hales and Commissioner Steve Novick. That meeting does not appear on Hales' or Novick's public calendars.
The auditor dinged Hales and Novick on Sept. 1 for failing to record a personal meeting with Uber lobbyists on their personal calendars back in December 2014.
Lyft says now that the entry on their lobbying report was incorrect. Neither Hales nor Novick attended the meeting, Wilson says.
A spokeswoman for the mayor, Sara Hottman, says the same. Bryan Hockaday, a spokesman for Novick, also says the meeting didn't happen.
Willamette Week
