“After careful consideration, we believe that no other candidate in the race is as poised as Rubio to advance the The Street Trust Action Fund’s mission.”
— The Street Trust Action Fund
Leaders of The Street Trust Action Fund say they are “disappointed” and “dismayed” in City Commissioner Carmen Rubio, but they will not rescind their endorsement of her for Portland mayor. The organization says Rubio has made several policy promises in order to keep the endorsement.
“While this incident is disappointing,” reads the statement from The Street Trust Action Fund shared on Instagram Monday night. “We believe that Carmen Rubio remains the best candidate to deliver on the transportation safety issues that matter most to our community. We continue to support her candidacy because we know that her leadership will make Portland’s streets safer for everyone.”
The Street Trust Action Fund is the political (501c4) arm of The Street Trust, a nonprofit that advocates for transportation and road safety issues. Rubio announced the endorsement just days before a story in The Oregonian reported that the vehicle registered to her name had amassed 150 tickets since 2006 and that her license had been suspended six times for failing to pay fines and/or not showing up to a court date.
Here’s the statement from TST Action Fund:
The Street Trust Action Fund is disappointed by the news of Carmen Rubio’s traffic infractions, and we are equally dismayed by her failure to disclose this issue to us during the endorsement process. This behavior falls short of the safety, transparency, and accountability we expect from leaders we endorse. However, after careful consideration, we believe that no other candidate in the race is as poised as Rubio to advance the The Street Trust Action Fund’s mission or the urgent transportation safety reforms Portland needs.
While we do not in any way excuse Rubio’s behavior and we unequivocally condemn her repeated infractions, we believe that her life experiences can teach her directly (albeit the hard way) the urgent need for reform and significant investment to ensure safe, equitable, mobility for our most vulnerable system users, and how we can adopt a more equitable approach to transportation justice.
Moving forward, Carmen Rubio has committed to creating safer streets for all Portlanders and has made it clear to us that she understands that Portland’s traffic fatality crisis requires bold, immediate action. In response to this incident, she has committed to leading by example, not only by improving her personal behavior but through concrete policy measures.
To maintain The Street Trust Action Fund’s endorsement, Carmen Rubio has pledged that she will:
- Prioritize full funding for street safety and active transportation through her role as mayor;
- Engage directly and in an ongoing basis with vulnerable street users and victims of traffic violence to better understand their experiences and system needs;
- Implement critical safety initiatives within the first 100 days of her administration including daylighting intersections (as promised by previous administrations), fully fund the Bicycle Plan for scheduled completion by 2030, and reducing speeds to 20 MPH 24/7/365 around schools and parks.
A closer look at Rubio’s record (view it below) shows that since being hired to work in Portland City Hall as a staffer for a former mayor and city commissioner in 2006, she has racked up 150 citations. Of those, 116 appear to have been issued because Rubio (or someone driving her car) parked too long in a spot and didn’t pay the required fee. 20 of the citations are related to overdue registration tags, five are for “failure to obey a traffic control device” and just one was for speeding. Since becoming a city commissioner in 2021, Rubio has been ticketed four times: one for parking in a “No Parking Anytime” zone, two for outdated registration tags, and one — on July 18th of this year — for parking in a loading zone.
In an answer to a question about how she’d help Portland reach Vision Zero that was asked in a candidate questionnaire by BikeLoud PDX earlier this summer, Rubio was strong on traffic enforcement and personal responsibility. In order to reduce fatal collisions between drivers, walkers, and bicycle riders, Rubio said, “… there must be… responsibility by drivers.”
“To that end,” Rubio continued, “I would favor increasing camera enforcement along problem traffic corridors – and some patrolling to educate, but also to hold frequent speeding/reckless violators accountable.” Rubio stumped for stronger action from the District Attorney to prosecute drivers for serious crimes like vehicular homicide or assault. “I recognize the fear of prosecution can be a strong deterrent. These crimes are rarely prosecuted, giving the impression that reckless driving is a victimless crime,” she wrote.
Rubio is a leading candidate for mayor. One of her competitors in the race, fellow City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez, also has a long record of driving-related infractions. Trucking company CEO and transportation advocate Keith Wilson, who rounds out the top three in current polls, has four (or five) tickets since 2004, all related to overdue parking meters.
If you’re curious what Rubio’s perspective is on all this: Stay tuned. I have an interview scheduled with her tomorrow (Wednesday).
UPDATE, 6:05 pm on 9/18: The Street Trust Executive Director Sarah Iannarone stopped by Bike Happy Hour and shared that, given news today that Rubio hit a parked car and walked away, the organization plans to rescind their endorsement. Expect an official statement Thursday morning.
Thanks for reading.
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If commissioner Rubio is actually going to aggressively push for daylighting intersections around the city and fully funding and completing the 2030 bike plan within the allotted time, I’d definitely vote for her, traffic citations or no. But I’m waiting to see if these are just empty words, or if she is truly committed to this. I’ve seen nothing in her years in office that would suggest to me that she’s a strong advocate for traffic safety.
I’m sure she would love to remove the legal parking zone abutting every intersection in the City. Think about how many open parking spots that would give her to choose from!
People who know about that law also know it’s rarely enforced.
Rubio has an impressive number of violations and a talent for drawing down “Failure to…” tickets. It’s no defense, but is she from someplace where that sort of thing is normalized? Where pols can just ignore the tickets and rock on?
Maybe I could be moved a bit if Rubio surrendered her driver’s license or sat through a diversion course. Until then she’s exactly the sort of person that I’m watching out for at every corner. Like someone said, fool me once.
What I can’t figure out about the pledges thing is that we won’t know if she keeps them until long after the election is over… at which point the TST endorsement would be meaningless. Am I missing something?
Good questions. Seems like it will be difficult to get accountability. What I’ll be looking for, personally, is how knowledgeable and effusive she is about these topics. If she can make a credible case for why intersection daylighting is important, if she demonstrates a solid understanding of where critical gaps are in the bike network and what kind of infrastructure is needed to fill those gaps, if she talks about why hardening of existing and new lanes is critical, even over the inevitably objections of some vocal community members, then I’ll be convinced. But if all she has is platitudes, pablum, and limited rehearsed bullet point talking points, I’m not buying. I want a plan, not a concept of a plan!
The TST endorsement reads as aspirational to me, not operational. In the science world, we often need measurable goals to gauge any progress. These goals are not SMART goals in any sense.
I agree with the sentiment. But how do you find out if they are empty words? Seems like there is no time to find that out between now and the election. So it’s a matter of belief I guess.
Given her response, I guess I’ll still rank her somewhere. Also given the specific tickets she got, almost none of it was related to safety, just paying the damned fees that are supposed to pay for all the stuff she wants to do…
Still several on there for running red lights, or ignoring yellow flashing lights (pedestrian crosswalk, anyone?). While they are absolutely dwarfed by what appears to be her inability to ever pay a parking meter, I consider 4-5 “failure to obey” in this period of time to be a pretty serious safety issue. She probably should not be driving.
Yeah, you’re probably right. Although the last of either of those was 8 years ago. It’s not good, and I don’t buy the “she learned the hard way” nonsense the Street Trust said. She should have lost her license at some point in there.
I think an honest opinion someone could have (not saying I believe this is the case here) is “The streets should be safer, drivers should be held accountable, and that includes me”. I don’t know enough about her to know what I think about her promises just yet.
Agree she should not be driving based on her history. Also think 25% of drivers I encounter on a day to day basis shouldn’t be driving based on their behaviors. So she’s hardly an outlier. What if she committed to not ever driving?
Absolutely and a great point! She could have shredded her license, sworn off driving to make amends and prove she got it. She didn’t. Just more promises for the future like the ones she’s already made.
That’s some hard truth. Sometimes the 25% are pushing something really ragged that you can hear for blocks but mostly it’s late model Subarus, Teslas, Volvo SUVs and like that. Folks with two car seats, a bike rack, and ‘Share the Road’ plates–my favorite.
Rubio has a teachable moment but so far she hasn’t done the work.
She lost her license repeatedly and still drove. I don’t think any promise from her would amount to much.
Studies have shown that people just…. keep… driving.
Thank you. All the hardline Rubio backers are trying to frame Gonzalez as the only candidate with moving violations. Carmen’s got ’em too, and from much more recent times.
As a voter who cares about honesty and integrity, I care about her ridiculous parking and nonpayment issues. As a voter who bikes and walks in this town I’m also quite concerned by the fact that she not only has moving violations, but also repeatedly drove while suspended.
Nothing Rubio has said even begins to justify her record and it seems that she thinks her connectedness and political clout can keep weak allies like the Street Trust from turning on her.
Much respect to LiUNA Local 737 for having a spine and dropping their endorsement. I’ve pushed my union leaders to do the same.
Has anyone reached out to law enforcement groups that have endorsed Gonzalez to see if they have changed their minds now that we know he is a law breaker who does not show up for court?
Oh yeah, no one’s going to do that because we already know that they are corrupt, and it would be boring and tedious to reiterate something that is plainly obvious.
Well, how about Gonzalez? He’s got a few tickets. He rides a bike some. Seems like kind of a wash.
Meanwhile, Mr. G is running on a proposal to hire a bunch of new police officers and clean the streets. Can he do that?
As Fire Commissioner Gonzalez said he would hire more firefighters and reduce the staggering amount of overtime the Fire Bureau pays. He didn’t. Among other things there’s a perverse incentive in the fire department to work a lot of overtime just before retirement because pensions are based on the final years of pay.
This is not to say that firefighters don’t deserve their pay and benefits. It’s a skilled job with real risks that can demand a maximum effort at any time. I’ve talked with a retired firefighter about what the job does to your body. It can take a toll.
A city commissioner, council member, or Mayor needs to be clear who they work for. It’s actually not great that Gonzalez is endorsed by the unions that soak up the lion’s share of the city budget. He’s running on a promise, not on his record.
Seems the National political madness has reached the local level. No need to judge a candidate by what they’ve actually done, lets just judge them by what they say they will do (for real though with pinky swears) in some nebulous future. Is there no concept of principle anymore or actually expecting a public servant to well, serve?? How embarrassing for the Street Trust!
I would rather vote for somebody that will run the government according to my preferences than somebody that has no tickets. I don’t get the argument that one’s moral record is stained if they vote for a sleazy politician. A vote is not an endorsement of the politician’s righteousness, it’s representative government. And yes, I will probably rank Rubio pretty highly on my ballot.
This is an important point. It’s called critical support, and I wish more democrats were capable of giving it.
Hi Micah,
It’s not that Rubio may or may not be sleazy, I have no idea. It is that Rubio has demonstrated many times that she does not respect social or legal mores associated with driving as far as they affect her. I think that is pretty clear. Therefore, why would anyone expect her to respect social or legal mores with other aspects of living together in an urban environment? Due to her behavior over an extensive span of time, she literally can’t be trusted. Why would anyone trust her to fulfill these grandiose plans she has created out of whole cloth after her perfidy was uncovered? I do know that she can’t be trusted because she has shown she can’t be. Being Mayor isn’t a throw away job where one should get a pass for poor behavior, its a high honor and carries a duty to serve the public.
I find it embarrassing for the Street Trust because they clearly don’t care if Rubio is being honest with them. How can you endorse someone who doesn’t feel like legal and social mores apply to them? Why does the Street Trust even feel like they need to endorse anyone?? Aren’t they supposed to be about working to make life better for non auto transportation? If Rubio loses, why would the winner want to work with an organization who endorsed their rival?
I think one would be foolish to trust Rubio, and I agree that she has behaved in ways that demonstrate contempt for parking rules. I’m not taking Carmen’s word for how she would govern, I’m making my own prediction based on the reputation Rubio has established in her not insignificant political career. I would be surprised if the person elected mayor was not personally distasteful in myriad ways. I still think she will be the most effective at running Portland as I prefer it to be run. The worst thing about this ‘scandal’ of Rubio’s parking tickets is that it increases the likelihood of a Gonzalez mayorship. Rene seems like a decent enough bloke, but I don’t agree with the way he has said he wants (and how I predict he will try if elected) to run the city, so I oppose his candidacy. It’s an election not a purity test.
There is a wide gap between no tickets and 150.
At the least, I think it shows an inability to make good choices or learn.
The Street Trust ceased being relevant the moment they hired Sarah Iannarone.
And you can probably bet there’s a “I scratch your back now, you’ll scratch my back later” deal that SI is famous for doing.
Right from the start, lol. We knew everything we needed to know about SI as soon as the “cakegate” story dropped.
For me it was the moment they removed the word “bicycle” from their name.
More than anything, I remain amazed that anybody in Portland has amassed 150 tickets. That is more than everyone I know combined. Like seriously. Over the weekend I was chatting w/ neighbors, and the average per person was like ~1.5. For the entire block I doubt we hit 50 tickets for the last two decades.
one factor here with the volume is that she was working at city hall. And downtown, the parking enforcement is pretty strong and they often cite folks. Not comparable to n’hoods at all.
I need to drive downtown frequently for work (need to tote large work items) and guess what? 2 tickets in the last 10 years. (Any I paid them despite having a family to support). And why did Carmen have to drive downtown? Is she too good for public transit? I mean since the crime and mayhem increase from about 2020 on I can completely understand why a woman wouldn’t want to go downtown on public transit…but this has been going on a LONG time.
I split my commutes 60/40 between biking and transit. In a typical day, I see just as many women as men riding transit. Rubio would not be out of place there.
If we only had things like public transportation or bike routes going to downtown that she could use other than driving
There is a huge amount of legal parking available downtown.
But not free. With 150 tickets ( and 100 sent to collections) I get the distinct feeling that Rubio got away with it a lot more often than she didn’t.
Bingo! And what that means is that she was refusing to pay into infrastructure that benefits all of us. As a politician that should be the end of their career.
How many parking tickets in Downtown do you think it is reasonable to expect the typical reasonable person to get before they learn their lesson and plan ahead on where to park or how they can get downtown without needing to park a car? I would say 2 at most. But more than 25 in 2012 alone? 4 or 5 as a city commissioner in just the last few years?
Do the folks at The Street Trust know they are not obligated to endorse anyone?
Rubio’s excuse is laughably bad and trying to paint 150 tickets as normal for downtown commuters is seriously disingenuous.
I worked downtown for over a decade, about 2 blocks from city hall, and I received exactly zero parking tickets in that time. Never had a parking spot from my employer– same as most folks who work downtown.
I biked, I took Trimet if I needed a break from biking, and on the rare occasion that I drove, maybe 2-3 times a year, I used a Smart Park ramp.
Why doesn’t a popular local bike blogger ask Carmen why she didn’t do the same?
Worse than that Maus made excuses for her….”she had to work downtown at City Hall”. Lots of people work downtown….and guess what most follow our laws. And if they don’t they make their amends.
Who did that? I didn’t. I pointed out that enforcement of parking downtown is much more stringent than in n’hoods. That’s a fact.
It’s good to remember that they don’t cite people who are following parking and traffic rules though. You have to break those to be cited.
Okay? He obviously knows that, he’s responding to a comment about parking tickets in neighborhoods and commenting that her work downtown is how she got so many tickets while parking illegally
Sure, but at 150 tickets I think the enforcement is irrelevant. At a minimum, it’s making the same bad decision 150 times. That’s mindboggling. Her work downtown doesn’t explain it, nor does more enforcement. Frankly I can’t think of much that explains it.
I’m not surprised to learn that she hit a car today and didn’t leave a note. Parking downtown often doesn’t explain that either.
C’mon, JM – everyone I know who works downtown just pays for parking in a garage. It’s part of the cost of working downtown. Hey – here’s an idea for a good investigative journalist: find out what arrangements exist for parking cars owned by workers at City Hall. Could Rubio have a paid parking space but she instead chose to be a scofflaw?
The story I’m telling myself is that Rubio got elected and then decided she was above the law. Anyone who does that is automatically disqualified from holding future elected office, IMO.
I think the confusion in this thread stems from the context of SilkySlim’s comment — whether they meant “the entire block” to mean a large sample of individuals who go about all of their parking business (which may include parking on their block, in the neighborhood, downtown, wherever) and rarely get tickets, or to mean the individuals were getting tickets only on their block specifically.
If you can make a “number of citations vs. year” plot, and there is enough data to see a visible bell curve… yeesh. At least we’re on the tail end of the bell curve, but holy shit.
This is completely insane for a street safety advocacy group to double down on an endorsement for the most non-street safe candidate in the mayoral race
Also I called it!
https://bikeportland.org/2024/09/11/scofflaw-commissioner-carmen-rubio-endorsed-by-the-street-trust-389464#comment-7528853
I wouldn’t characterize the Street Trust as that. Their mission lately seems to be providing pro-illegal-camping sound bytes to local news and getting into slapfests on Twitter…
1) “Prioritize full funding for street safety and active transportation through her role as mayor.”
2) “Engage directly and in an ongoing basis with vulnerable street users and victims of traffic violence to better understand their experiences and system needs.”
Both 1 and 2 are not measurable goals. Thus, they are essentially meaningless.
3) “Implement critical safety initiatives within the first 100 days of her administration including daylighting intersections (as promised by previous administrations), fully fund the Bicycle Plan for scheduled completion by 2030, and reducing speeds to 20 MPH 24/7/365 around schools and parks.”
There is no reason to believe that Rubio will implement any significant part of the Bicycle Plan for financial limitations alone (See the cost on page 196 of the Bicycle Plan). While Rubio seems much more willing to listen to street safety advocates than Gonzalez and Mapps, she has made no specific claims about what she will do, nor expressed her knowledge with any specifics concerning cycling, walking and street safety, in general.
Mayor Adams in NYC made astounding promises which helped him get a lot of street safety advocates (e.g., TA, Families for safe streets) to endorse him. Prior to being elected mayor, as Brooklyn Borough president he allowed his staffers to illegally fill the pedestrian plaza at Borough Park with cars.
If I had to guess what Rubio’s priorities are based on her past behavior (because we have to guess unfortunately), I would have to conclude that functional, data-based solutions to street safety is not high on her list, maybe not on her radar. It seems this endorsement from the Street Trust is less and endorsement but rather an effort to support the least worst. I may have to do the same.
I’m worried that Rubio will fill the sidewalks with tents, just as Charlie Hales did.
In my opinion, The Street Trust seems more interested in pursuing Sarah Inarone’s political agenda than making our streets safe.
I helped out in evaluating candidate answers for The Street Trust Action Fund’s endorsement process. This is disappointing.
I routinely have to enter into travel lanes to get around cars parked in the bike lane. I routinely have to help my mother-in-law find ways down a curb because a car is parked on the ramp. We deserve a candidate who will take transportation safety seriously.
Let’s not forget that PBOT has been scraping for funding for years, including the last four while she was on the council. How many meetings did she attend where PBOT staff outlined the bleak financial situation due to revenue shortfalls? Did it occur to her to pay her registration and parking fees while PBOT Maintenance staff considered—and ultimately followed through with—canceling Residential Street Sweeping as one of many budget-saving measures?
Not paying for parking impacts PBOTs budget
Not paying for your vehicle registration impacts PBOTs budget
Not paying your fines for parking citations impacts PBOTs budget
Not paying your fines for expired vehicle registration impacts PBOTs budget
General Transportation Revenues (GTR) come from two primary sources:
https://www.portland.gov/transportation/budget/overview#:~:text=How%20is%20PBOT%20funded%3F,funding%20comes%20from%20restricted%20sources
Ignorance of the law for a citizen does not excuse the infraction and ignorance/indifference to the largest bureau’s funding mechanism is disqualifying for a mayoral candidate.
Additionally, Hey Street Trust are you sure you want to spend your dwindling political capital on this?
Rubio was clearly making a conscious decision to not pay for the parking meters. The question is: what was her logic? Was it not worth her time, or did she make the cold calculation that it’s cheaper to get hit with fines every few weeks instead of paying every day?
I guess that bill is finally coming due.
She probably parked in 1-hour or 2-hour zones, paid for the time and then let her car sit there all day and get ticketed. That’s usually how people rack up fines.
COTW
Not fair to shirk your responsibility to pay taxes and fees even if you’re an elected leader. There revenue pays to do the stuff that government is supposed to do.
Boy, is this disappointing, even if it is not surprising.
I’m having a hard time understanding how an organization dedicated to advocating for safer streets can maintain credibility by endorsing a candidate who has racked up so many traffic violations.
That no other candidate is any better is not a reason to entrench your support.
Why not just withhold endorsements this year?
I’m on TST AF board. I care a lot about these issues and I grappled with this decision. Several days ago I reviewed all the violations.
Most of these are not “traffic violations.” Parking tickets for overstaying a meter aren’t a crime and they generally aren’t a safety violation. There are a handful of those that are what I would consider selfish, and maybe one or two that would be considered minor safety issues.
The red lights and speeding were a much bigger problem for me. Do I feel like Rubio heard our concerns and agreed to policy positions that indicate she understands the need to make our streets safer, yes. Will she hold up to the promises… as pointed out only time will tell. Do I think a budget or PBOT leadership appointment from a Mayor Rubio will be better for issues I care about than a Mayor Gonzalez… absolutely 100%.
What we have done is provide the community with a statement and opening to work with a potential Mayor Rubio (and a current Councilwoman Rubio) on these issues. Whether you trust her or vote for her is up to you, but I encourage everyone to act as though she means it and hold her to it.
My other advice is never to volunteer for anything.
“There are a handful of those that are what I would consider selfish”
You mean like the Oregonian reporting that she racked up unpaid parking tickets for the Timbers opening match of the 2022 season when parking rates are quadrupled or more? Or maybe it was her snobby quote to OPB that she prioritized her career over other responsibilities like paying for fines and citations like the rest of us?
It’s obvious that morals and character don’t matter anymore when it comes to endorsements or voting as long as someone passes the political sniff test.
I’m disappointed by Rubio’s actions, and am kind of relieved to hear that she won’t be driving.
However. When I’m in a quandary about who to vote for I’m often content to vote against the O’s editorial position.
“If it’s important to Oregonians, it’s in the Washington Post”.
Evergreen.
Thank you for the context. It is much appreciated 🙂
Did anyone on the AF board think to ask Rubio if she would show that she is committed to road safety by leaving her car at home moving forward? That would be about the only behavior I could see from her now that would convince me that she actually cares.
Driving many times on a suspended license is strong car-brain behavior, and I’m not sure I can buy that she has suddenly changed that perspective.
I really want to understand how TST AF believes “no other candidate in the race is as poised as Rubio to advance the The Street Trust Action Fund’s mission or the urgent transportation safety reforms Portland needs.” (from Twitter) Keith Wilson has done actual advocacy and direct action, such as after Sarah Pliner was killed. He isn’t a scofflaw. His trucking company is renowned for its safety and sustainability. I understand sticking with the Rubio endorsement but it is confusing and alarming that you wouldn’t use the opportunity to take advantage of RCV and endorse someone else as well.
I’m also alarmed and confused that pros like you would take the line of “will this person that has broken the law countless times, lied to us, cut backroom deals with Zenith Energy, and who knows what else, uphold her promises? Only time will tell.” Time has told us already.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me 149 more times, shame on me.
I really don’t know how one can conclude that Rubio would be better on transportation issues than Wilson. All evidence suggests the contrary.
There must be other reasons for favoring Rubio.
If Rubio is elected Mayor, how would the electorate hold her to being honest? Once elected its too late. A school I attended had a motto of “this doesn’t build character, it reveals it” Rubio has had her character revealed and there is no expectation she would change since she already hasn’t over many years.
On this I agree with you a lot 🙂
I would not trust someone who has racked up 150 tickets to take care of a pet goldfish, let alone a city.
Thank you Tony for taking the time to share more context for The Street Trust’s decision. The kind of thoughtful response that you write is what keeps me reading and contributing comments to this website. The fact that your comment appears under a real name also helps me take it seriously.
Maybe over a beer (or coffee) you could convince me that The Street Trust made the right call, but I have a hard time parsing traffic tickets into ones that are and are not about the safety of our streets. I agree with you that there is a distinction in the law between criminal and civil offenses. However, given that one of the city’s announced goals for creating safer streets in Portland is to change the culture from one of selfish drivers to one where we share a collective responsibility for the safety of our streets, then how is someone who repeatedly engages in (and is ticketed for) selfish behavior going to help change that culture? Do as I say, not as I do? That’s not going to work.
When a driver thinks they can rack up parking tickets without paying them, let registrations lapse, park in known off-limit spots, and continue to drive on a suspended license, that sounds like more of the same selfish driver culture that deteriorates the safety of our streets. Streets are shared spaces, and selfish behavior in shared spaces create dangerous conditions, especially for the most vulnerable users of those spaces.
If by “never volunteer,” you mean that volunteering is a thankless task that opens you up to the public scrutiny of strangers, then, I know well what you mean, and I thank you again for your time.
I appreciate your rationalization from TST’s POV, but I’m not persuaded. I was going to rank her third on my list, now she is off my rankings entirely.
The parking tickets are obviously not crimes nor violent, but they are selfish and pitifully ridiculous. The sheer number of tickets over many years, while she held public office (just this year!), indicates she simply didn’t give AF until she got told on in the middle of the campaign. Her character is such that she obviously is OK with breaking “minor” rules over and over that she perceives as mere inconveniences, suggesting she may do so in other areas too. TST should simply have rescinded their endorsement and not endorsed anyone else.
She already knew TST was not going to endorse either of her main rivals so TST had no leverage over her, and the low-resolution promises TST extracted hint at this. These promises are either too nebulous in the cases of the first two listed here, or utterly detached from budgetary reality, like the third.
I would bet she gets another parking ticket before she gets the moribund 2030 bike plan fully funded.
Tony, it sounds like your endorsement was for “not Rene G.” I can understand that, but why not endorse Keith Wilson?
The nonprofit industrial complex looks at Keith Wilson’s “I can fix homelessness via my biznis acumen” as a baby Rene G. And to be honest, they may not be wrong.
I won’t be voting for any of these candidates and will likely just leave the mayoral section blank or vote once for the candidate that I believe is least likely to win (to ensure that my vote is wasted).
Why is that, Tony? I wish you’d say more. Gonzalez seems like he’ll be really strong on transportation. And you do know that he RIDES A BIKE, right? He even commutes by bike to City Hall on a regular basis, and also used public transit til it got uncomfortable for him.
Your final sentence, “Never volunteer for anything,” is probably the best advice I’ve heard one Portlander give another Portlander. I wish I had heard it when I first moved to Portland, many years ago. Never have lived in a place that abuses its volunteers more. Portland is rife with organizations, esp public ones, that say they want people’s expertise and support, and then gaslight them. It’s all about checking a box that says “We’ve listened to and included The People.”
https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2024/09/portland-mayoral-hopeful-carmen-rubio-dogged-by-driving-record-damages-parked-tesla-then-walks-away.html
Why endorse this?
https://www.kgw.com/article/news/politics/portland-mayoral-candidate-carmen-rubio-dinging-parked-tesla/283-6c59ba3f-1d64-4ea0-8446-fab93a0e1bce
It’s not just parking tickets. She got sent to collections over 100 times, had her license suspended six times and each time drove while suspended.
That’s a bit more than can be excused by “oh, she works downtown so of course she gets the occasional ticket.” It’s a blatant, repeated, chronic disregard for several laws.
Carmen Rubio’s actions show a complete disrespect for the social contract and is essentially spitting on the people she claims to want to lead. Leaders are supposed to role model appropriate societal behavior. She does not deserve to be elected. How could you ever trust anything she says – she doesn’t have the basic decency to behave in a pro-social way and respect the basic laws that society has agreed upon. She also must suffer from a narcissistic, complete lack of shame, which is starting to seem like a pre-requisite to run for office in this country.
As for the Street Trust endorsing her I am not surprised. I used to support the BTA but when they transformed into the Street Trust they lost their way and it’s truly hard to tell what they do that is effective.
Say whatever you like about Mayor Vera Katz, but she didn’t have a drivers license, so she took taxis, carpooled with staff and used public transportation during her tenure as mayor. It CAN be done.
I had the pleasure of working with her a few times over the years (one time misspelling her name in a presentation that went before a legislative committee, she had a good laugh over that one). Didn’t always agree with what she did in political office, but she was a great person to know and talk to.
A mayor that folks fondly remember, Katz is memorialized with an esplanade.
Due to the current commissioner’s transportation legacy, PBOT refers to their wheel clamps as a “Rubio boot.”
The choice by TST is pretty obvious.
The two most important criteria are 1. Will this person win? 2. Are they so vile that they will damage our brand and be impossible to work with?
At the end of the day, TST needs to optimize their political relationships with people who are elected. However, my wish for the TST would be that they step away from endorsing for mayor this round and they score several leading candidates. This would be more helpful to voters and address the question, “Why not Wilson?”
Are we still operating like we don’t have RCV?
Great points SD. This is Realpolitik. Based on the current candidates, I think it’s damage control. Mapps attempted to remove a protected bike lane literally overnight that was the culmination of decades of planning and advocacy. And then lied about it. Gonzalez presents himself as someone very similar to Mapps who may easily do the same given his disinterest in street safety and close ties with the large business interests.
Whether or not Rubio would do something like that is unclear based on her record, but since she’s a frontrunner, TST unfortunately doesn’t really have a choice. Also, would it be kind of weird for TST to endorse 2 candidates in preparation for RCV? I’m actually not sure.
Rubio and TST: I don’t support either one!
So glad I stopped giving money to TST when they changed their name from BTA.
Apparently the Street Trust gives Rubio an even bigger pass, ignoring it completely, on her backdoor sweetheart deal with megapolluter Zenith, endangering us all.
The Street Trust is a shell of its former (BTA) self.
They no longer seem interested in keeping bikeways clear and safe and are instead interested in ideological purity tests as the only qualifier for endorsement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPovJrCnOtw&t=26s
We need to demand a response from TST on this. She is a danger to society.
I was just going to post when I saw your comment. Rubio is the gift that keeps on giving in all the wrong ways. The Oregonian just posted the story and video of her damaging a Tesla a few days ago and walking away. The hypocrisy of TST AF not pulling their endorsement is inexplicable.
You spelled GRIFT wrong.
I’ll just leave this here. How long until she hits a pedestrian or bicyclist? As a former bike/ped planner, Rubio does not have my vote. Remember how hard we were on Mingus Mapps for alleged lies? What in her behavior shows us she will be any more transparent in her actions? She straight up pretended she didn’t hit car, left the scene and then lied about not seeing the damage. The video tells the truth. https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2024/09/portland-mayoral-hopeful-carmen-rubio-dogged-by-driving-record-damages-parked-tesla-then-walks-away.html
I was already disappointed in The Street Trust for their seeming disregard for our local chapter of Families for Safe Streets. And now this. If The Street Trust expects the community’s trust and regard they should formally acknowledge how problematic Rubio’s behavior has been and what it betrays about her respect for the city of Portland and her misplaced sense of entitlement. The Street Trust should rescind their endorsement and shine the light on what Rubio’s shameless behavior tells us about entitled car culture in general and how unacceptable that is.
Any chance you might be able to expand on this? This is concerning.
Carmen Rubio is reported to have another traffic accident last week.
https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2024/09/portland-mayoral-hopeful-carmen-rubio-dogged-by-driving-record-damages-parked-tesla-then-walks-away.html
This is far worse than a traffic
accidentcollision…a City councilor running for Mayor collided with another vehicle, damaged the vehicle, surveys the damage, and walks away (thinking they would not be caught).And for the record I do not give a s*** about the Tesla or Tesla owner, it’s the amoral way in which this city council member drives a deadly machine that is deeply troubling.
Wow, all of this, and she is still one hundred times better than Gonzalez.
In what way? I’m not planning on ranking him first but I’m definitely not ranking Carmen “the car” Rubio.
IDK, I think she may be able to turn this around. If she leans into this new outlaw persona and smashes a cyber truck window, she could shift the narrative.
Which is why you should list Keith Wilson first.
Yeah…a candidate whose solutions to complex societal problems caused by a chronic and festering low-income housing crisis, decades of mental health disinvestment, narcissistic upper-class apathy, and a synthetic drug 100-times more potent than heroin are “can-do” freight-company executive optimism.
Excuse me while I go metaphorically retch in a corner at the naïveté of Wilson supporters.
A “can-do” attitude plus everything he’s learned and implemented while founding and running Shelter Portland, but sure.
https://www.shelterportland.org/
What exactly has this nonprofit “think tank” implemented other than funded junkets to European and ‘murrican cities? I spent quite a bit of time looking though their site months ago and found no examples of specific projects that this nonprofit funded. I did find lots of information vignettes about projects funded by the JOHS and other nonprofits.
Fellow BikePortland readers, can we come together at this crucial time. regardless of political persuasion or candidate preference, to raise the precious funds necessary to purchase a Hop card for Rubio?
She probably gets a free trimet pass as part of her job. I do, and don’t even work for the city, it’s just part of the central east side parking program. I’m sure the west side has something similar and would guess city employees get some additional benefits. I think she just wants to drive (and does poorly at that)
The city only covers 50% of the cost of a transit pass for employees…
How about now after the substantial hit and run allegations? Does The Street Trust want to essentially cede the race to Gonzalez? Rubio is an historically awful candidate and the threat of Gonzalez (who among other issues is incredibly hostile towards safe transportation infrastructure) is real.
I wouldn’t exactly characterize that as “hit and run.” Her failure to act is totally ridiculous and cements my distrust but I think the actions speak for themselves and don’t really need the hyperbole. Especially since she said she looked and didn’t see any damage. If she is not a liar then her vision must be seriously impaired, in which case she DEFINITELY should not be driving a motor vehicle. The Street Trust is abjectly just as blind.
https://oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_811.700
Exactly. Not felonies under ORS 811.705, which is what I think of when I hear “hit and run.” Many actions under 700 are just not things that in my mind qualify colloquially when I hear that phrase.
Failure to perform the duties of a driver is what “hit and run” is called in the Oregon Revised Statutes. Some states refer to the crime as hit and skip. The charge is a misdemeanor if only property is damaged. If a person is killed or injured, failure to perform the duties of a driver is a felony.
You can see some evidence of that here if you look for “hit and run”
https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Forms/DMV/7484.pdf
Failure to Perform the Duties of a Driver When Property is Damaged under ORS 811.700 is a misdemeanor, and carries a maximum penalty of 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $6,250.
That is a good find. But, as you appear to admit, the phrase doesn’t appear in the ORS anywhere. What is left is “what is hit and run called”. I think if you ask 10 random people to give an example all 10 will immediately give a .705 example. So leveraging a loaded term here in a very clearly .700 situation is a bit cringe — and unnecessary since the same 10/10 will consider her conduct absurd and unfit for a driver. (Maybe 8/10 since the pandemic.)
So people running for or in elected office can break as many laws as they want, just as long as they aren’t felonies then they are fine upstanding people according to you?
I understand you are mad, but you may want to take a deep breath and reread the entire thread more carefully, because I said none of those things.
Just didn’t notice 5-6 thousand in damage? Cmon man that’s a bit rich. This was absolutely hit and run, she should not be continuing to drive.
“If she is not a liar then her vision must be seriously impaired, in which case she DEFINITELY should not be driving a motor vehicle.”
Luckily, the Oregonian quoted Rubio as saying “I will not be driving for the foreseeable future.”
I give her less than a week before she breaks that promise.
“Gonzalez is incredibly hostile towards safe transportation infrastructure”
Do you have any actual examples that justify such a strong statement?
As others keep pointing out, the solution to the Rubio question is to either not endorse, or endorse Wilson. It’s really not that hard.
And it just gets worse for Ms Rubio (and the Street Trust). According to an Oregonian report, Rubio was just involved in a hit and run. I doubt even this will get the Street Trust to pull their endorsement instead of doubling down once again on their polarized political agenda and supporting unfit candidates.
Portland mayoral hopeful Carmen Rubio, dogged by driving record, damages parked Tesla, then walks away
https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2024/09/portland-mayoral-hopeful-carmen-rubio-dogged-by-driving-record-damages-parked-tesla-then-walks-away.html
Calling this a hit and run is such a stretch, and it was enough for them to pull their endorsement
Looks like the street trust has their very own Donald Trump. Th as not goodness she didn’t hit anyone with her car, that we know of.
Maybe the state should pass a law that says to the affect, if 5 or more unpaid tickets (no matter what they are) are on the record for a car/driver, then the car is booted and towed until the fines are paid.
So ridiculous there were no actual consequences for such repeated unlawful behavior.
she had her car towed twice. Didn’t seem to work.
However, she didn’t pay all her fines at the time, only the tow fee. I’m talking about a law that would prevent that.
Want your car back? Pay ALL fines.
So now we can add “hit and run” to her list of traffic violations.Why is it not screamingly obvious by now that Rubio has serious ethical issues and shouldn’t be anywhere near a leadership role of any kind? The Street Trust lost my support years ago, and this continued endorsement confirms my decision.