Rene Gonzalez sues City of Portland over campaign finance penalties
Former Portland city commissioner Rene Gonzalez is suing the city for its handling of campaign finance complaints made against him during his 2024 mayoral run.
In the lawsuit filed Monday, Gonzalez claims the city violated his due process rights by not giving him a chance to defend himself against accusations that he violated campaign finance rules.
“Government has an obligation to enforce the law,” wrote Gonzalez’s attorney D. Angus Lee in a statement shared with OPB. “But when it imposes penalties and damages reputations without a meaningful opportunity to be heard, it raises serious constitutional concerns—especially when those actions occur in the middle of an election.”
The litigation comes eight months after a Multnomah County court made this same determination, requiring Portland to refund Gonzalez for the fines levied through what it determined was an unconstitutional process. City council has since adjusted the city’s campaign finance rules to address the issues identified in that court ruling.
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/06/portland-rene-gonzalez-lawsuit-campaign-finance-penalties/