On Tuesday, as I processed the jaw-dropping revelations about Portland City Commissioner and mayoral candidate Carmen Rubio’s numerous traffic violations and irresponsible motor vehicle use, another shocking item popped up on my timeline: A few days before The Oregonian story came out, Rubio was endorsed by The Street Trust.
Rubio shared the endorsement on Instagram over the weekend. In the caption Rubio wrote: “Through their dedication, we are making progress toward ending preventable deaths resulting from lax safety and inequality. With their support, I know that our city can lead the way on policy transformations and major investments to save lives… Together, we can end the public health emergency of traffic deaths and injuries.”
The endorsement was made by The Street Trust Action Fund a legally separate arm of the organization launched in 2018 that is allowed to lobby and endorse political candidates without the limitations of a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit.
“I closed the book on those times, but I haven’t forgotten the lessons I learned.”
– Carmen Rubio in a campaign email today
The timing of this endorsement by Portland’s most well-known active transportation advocacy group is notable because of the story published Monday that outlines Rubio’s driving history. According to The Oregonian, Rubio was written up for more than 150 parking and traffic violations over the past 20 years and didn’t pay them off for months and sometimes years. Rubio also had her license suspended on “at least six occasions” when she didn’t appear in court or provide payment.
In a statement to The Oregonian regarding the infractions, Rubio said, “I put my family financial and career obligations first… These are the experiences that have shaped who I am today and also make me a better leader because I have greater empathy for people who have gone through similar things.”
In an email to campaign supporters today, Rubio said said, “I want to apologize” and added, “I know that the best things to do when you make mistakes are to take responsibility, to clean up the mess and do better, and that’s what I’ve done when I paid my fines off many years ago*, I closed the book on those times, but I haven’t forgotten the lessons I learned.” (*The Oregonian reports that Rubio was cited for at least three violations since she took office as a city commissioner in 2021.)
Rubio will have another chance to explain her past at a live debate hosted by the Progreso Latino PAC. She’ll be on stage with fellow mayoral contenders Rene Gonzalez (who has serious traffic violation problems of his own) and Keith Wilson.
On Tuesday, LiUNA Local 737, a union that represents 3,000 Portland-area workers, withdrew their endorsement of Rubio, saying they were “shocked by the information” about the traffic violations.
BikePortland has reached out to The Street Trust Action Fund executive director for comment about their endorsement of Rubio but has not yet heard back.
On The TST Action Fund website, the organization shares the process they go through to choose candidates. BikePortland has also seen the questionnaire given to candidates. It’s all pretty standard fare about transportation policies and projects, except for the last question: “Is there anything we haven’t asked you that you believe we should know?”
