Former City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez Will Serve as General Counsel at Jubitz

The former city commissioner, who stood for law and order, is going back to the private sector after he lost his bid for mayor.

COMMISSIONER: Rene Gonzalez watches polling results come in at his campaign office during an election night party on Nov. 8, 2022. (Jordan Gale)
By Sophie Peel

Former Portland City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez, after two years of serving as the commissioner most vocal about ending homelessness and reducing crime across the city by bolstering police ranks, is returning to the private sector.

Gonzalez has taken a job at Jubitz Corporation, the famed local trucking and fuel delivery company that employs 200 people in Portland.

Gonzalez will serve as general counsel for the corporation. Before winning his election bid for City Council in 2022, Gonzalez owned a legal consulting business and a cloud-based software company. He previously worked at the law firm Stoel Rives and later as general counsel for KinderCare.

According to the Oregon State Bar’s online member database, Gonzalez is not an active member of the bar. According to the OSB, “inactive” status means that “members have chosen this status voluntarily and may not practice law in Oregon.” Gonzalez says he formally applied for re-activation on Jan. 2 but has not yet been granted readmission.

“I am honored to join Jubitz, a regional leader and great employer, in an industry that is changing every day, in terms of supply chain and customer needs,” Gonzalez wrote to Jubitz employees in an email earlier this month. “I look forward to joining the next generation of leadership in providing reliability to the people who build and transport the region in this ever-evolving environment.”

Gonzalez is related to the Jubitz family. He’s the step grandson of of Monroe Jubitz, the founder of Jubitz. Fred Jubitz, the CEO of Jubitz, is Gonzalez’s step-uncle. The Jubitzes were prominent donors to Gonzalez during his 2022 campaign for City Council and his failed mayoral bid in 2024.

According to OSB, Gonzalez has one complaint filed against him that’s under investigation by the Disciplinary Counsel’s Office. The complaint was filed on Oct. 7 by leftist activist and independent photojournalist Melissa Western (formerly Melissa Lewis), according to the OSB, who became prominent while covering the 2020 racial justice protests in downtown. The OSB did not immediately share the contents of the complaint.

As Oregon Public Broadcasting reported last week, Gonzalez on his way out of City Hall filed a tort claim notice with the city over an alleged arson of a family car outside of his home in 2023. Gonzalez alleged in the tort claim that the city dragged its feet on the arson investigation and wrote that the city failed to reimburse him for personal items damaged in the car fire. It’s not yet clear if Gonzalez will sue the city.

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