Portland Lawyer Again Files Ballot Initiative That Would Make County Pay Crime Victims

Portland lawyer John DiLorenzo has filed a new version of a ballot initiative that would require Multnomah County to pay up to $2,500 to any victim of a person or property crime.

The ballot initiative petition, filed March 4, is the fourth version DiLorenzo has filed since October. Two of them were rejected by the county elections director for not meeting legal standards. The third one passed muster (the ballot title was approved in December), but DiLorenzo withdrew it and filed this one in order to gain a longer window to gather signatures.

DiLorenzo says he revived the initiative after growing concerned that county leaders would not prioritize criminal justice—in particular, additional jail beds—in the upcoming budget.

“I am no longer confident that Multnomah County is going to adequately fund public safety,” he told WW today. “If it appears in April that the [county] chair is not going to adequately fund public safety, my druthers is to proceed with gathering signatures.”

DiLorenzo says he would aim for the November 2025 or May 2026 ballots.

If approved by voters, the initiative would amend the county charter to require that the county insure victims of crimes up to $2,500 per incident, “adjusted each year for inflation based on the consumer price index.” Victims would qualify for compensation “if there is probable cause that a crime has occurred,” regardless of whether charges are ever filed, so long as the crime was reported to police and the victim agreed to cooperate.

The filing offers a rationale for holding the county financially liable for criminal damage.

“Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the county has effectively abdicated its responsibility to provide residents with a baseline level of safety and crime prevention,” the petition reads. “County policies emphasizing ‘harm reduction,’ enablement, and absence of consequences have contributed to the increase in theft, vandalism, robberies, assaults, carjackings, graffiti, and other antisocial behaviors.”

DiLorenzo expounded on that argument today. “If you and I were to create a government from scratch, what is the first thing we would want it to do? Provide public safety,” he told WW. “And they’re failing miserably. Until they start performing adequately, they should be the insurer. This is a risk that they can actually control.”

County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson’s office could not immediately be reached for comment.

DiLorenzo, a civil lawyer, has long been a thorn in the side of the Democratic power structure in Portland, most recently filing a lawsuit under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act to compel Portland City Hall to remove the campsites of unhoused people that blocked sidewalks. That legal action played a role in spurring then-Mayor Ted Wheeler to launch a camping ban last summer.

DiLorenzo says he believes that financial liability will spur similar action by county officials. “My feeling is, as soon as our problem is Jessica Vega Pederson’s problem, then we’ll see some results.”