Portland public campaign finance deputy slams program head in searing resignation; director fires back
The bitter allegations mark the latest in a series of setbacks that have dogged Portland's Small Donor Elections.
Portland
The City’s Public Campaign Financing Program Allowed Candidates With Little Support to Snag Taxpayer Dollars
Rene Gonzalez campaign hit with $9,180 fine over campaign finance violations
The Portland Auditor's Office found that the campaign accepted 18 contributions that exceeded the legal limit, and fined the campaign triple the overage amount.
Portland mayoral candidate Rene Gonzalez fined $9,000 for new set of campaign finance violations
The city auditor's office says Gonzalez repeatedly failed to return donations that exceeded Portland’s contribution limits in a timely manner.
City Council Candidate Allegedly Offered Patrons Free Bar Entry in Exchange for Campaign Contributions
A Canvassing Group Knocking on Doors Has Helped City Candidates Unlock Hundreds of Thousands in Taxpayer Dollars
Portland mayoral candidate Rene Gonzalez broke law by using taxpayer money to edit Wikipedia page, auditor finds
The auditor’s office also defended the impartiality of the investigation while faulting Gonzalez for interfering in the review.
Campaign donation-trading investigation expands to 12 Portland candidates. Here’s the list
The secretary of state is investigating 11 Portland City Council candidates and one candidate for mayor.
Portland deputy auditor defends decision not to recuse himself from Rene Gonzalez investigation
The official has personal and financial ties to a leader of the group pushing an election probe against Gonzalez.
An Independent Expenditure for Mingus Mapps, Too? It Appears So
Secretary of State’s Office Says Candidates May Have Broken Law by Swapping Donations
Portland auditor to reconsider whether mayoral candidate Rene Gonzalez’s Wikipedia edits broke campaign finance rules
Chief Deputy Auditor Reed Brodersen said the auditor’s office had received new information that prompted it to reconsider the matter.
Controversial Dark Money Group, People For Portland, Dissolves Amid State Elections Investigation
Updated: 9:20 am Sept. 30 A short-lived political advocacy organization that ruffled feathers with downtown billboards targeting elected officials is reportedly calling it quits. As first reported by The Oregonian, People For Portland is shuttering its organization and its associated activities. That announcement comes six months after the state deemed the group violated Oregon election law in 2022 for failing to properly register its political expenditures with the Secretary of State. A separate investigation into...
City won’t match contributions between Portland City Council candidates for now - oregonlive.com1.pdf
City won’t match contributions between Portland City Council candidates for now
An email thread obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive shows that at least 13 candidates explicitly agreed to trade contributions to reach the donor threshold to qualify for public funds.
Auditors Determine Insufficient Evidence that Rene Gonzalez Violated Campaign Finance Laws
The Portland City Auditor’s Office announced Monday that it found “insufficient evidence” to support allegations of campaign finance violations from City Commissioner and mayoral candidate Rene Gonzalez. The investigation was launched after the city’s Elections Office (a division of the Auditor’s Office) received two emailed complaints and one formal complaint last month about Gonzalez’s use of taxpayer money to alter his Wikipedia page. Complainants asserted the use of taxpayer funds by a sitting commissioner to...
Oregon officials investigating donation swapping among candidates for Portland offices
The Oregon Secretary of State's office is investigating four candidates for Portland city council for swapping donatin
‘Exceedingly close call’ of illegality in Gonzalez’s Wikipedia edits, Portland auditor says; calls for state investigation
Commissioner Rene Gonzalez, widely considered a top candidate in the mayoral race, spent $6,400 to "refresh" his Wikipedia page.
Top Mayoral Candidates Under Fire, Illegal Donation Swapping, and MAX Fare Evasions - City Cast Portland
Today on City Cast Portland, we’re talking about the bonanza of traffic violations that two leading mayoral candidates h...
Portland City Council candidates swapped donations, raising campaign finance questions
Some of the candidates running for one of the new seats on the Portland City Council agreed to swap campaign donations in order to qualify for the city’s system of matching funds.
Oregon secretary of state’s investigation into Portland City Council candidates will initially focus on 4 candidates, could grow
The agency could not provide a timeline for the investigation.
Most candidates for Portland mayor and City Council sent reciprocated contributions to other candidates, raising legal questions - oregonlive.com.pdf
Oregon secretary of state opens investigation into Portland City Council candidates who traded contributions
The announcement comes two months away from Election Day.
These Candidates for City Office Agreed in Writing to Exchange Campaign Donations
Portland candidates talked swapping donations to hit small donor threshold | Worth Your Time
Willamette Week's Sophie Peel broke the story about messages between candidates suggesting they trade donations as they tried to qualify for public matching ...
Your piece strongly implies that the reciprocal donations were not counted toward the 250 needed to qualify for the public funding program. But the program did not disqualify those donations. It treated them like any other donations. The director of the program stated that it was up to each candidate to not report those donations as "qualifying," but in fact the candidates did report those donations as qualifying.
Odd Donations Between Portland City Council Candidates Were Widespread, Campaign Finance Data Shows
Additional City Council Candidates Involved in Donation-Swapping Agreements
Business, labor, other alliances likely to wield unprecedented sway in Portland elections
Established outside interests are expected to make large, organized and well-financed pushes in the coming weeks.
Facing a Budget Crunch, Portland’s Small Donor Elections Program Explores Loosening Rules
Portland weighs tweaking public campaign finance program to allow larger donations
Less than five months from a historic election, Portland may tweak campaign finance rules to stretch the city’s cash-strapped public financing program.