Mayoral candidate Rene Gonzalez violated campaign finance laws with sign, auditor's office says

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Portland mayoral hopeful and current city commissioner Rene Gonzalez has violated campaign finance laws by omitting a “paid for by” disclaimer on a sign displayed to the public, the city’s auditor’s office announced Thursday.

Campaign finance law in Portland requires candidates to include information about who paid for any sign that is equal or larger than six square feet. However, the auditor’s office found that Gonzalez’s campaign, Rene for Portland, neglected to do so.

“After investigating the complaint, the Elections Division found evidence of one violation of campaign finance regulations to support the allegation,” the City of Portland’s Auditor’s Office said in a statement. “All communications requiring a disclaimer must include the name(s) of all political committees, individuals, or entities that paid to either provide or present the communication.”

The commissioner has received a warning from the auditor’s office, as this is the first violation recorded during his campaign.

Gonzalez is also under investigation for a separate accusation that he had violated campaign finance laws by spending public funds to beef up his Wikipedia page. These investigations are not related.

KOIN 6 News has reached out to Gonzalez's campaign with a request for comment. This story will be updated once we hear back.

Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.