Carmen Rubio (born 1973) is an American politician and non-profit executive in the U.S. state of Oregon who is currently a Portland City Commissioner, having taken office on the Portland City Council in late December 2020.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Rubio worked as a policy advisor for Portland Commissioner Nick Fish and Multnomah County Commissioner Serena Cruz, and as director of community affairs for Portland Mayor Tom Potter.[5] In 2009, she became the executive director of the Latino Network.[5]
Rubio ran for Portland City Council in spring 2020, in a race to fill the seat then held by Amanda Fritz. In the May primary election, she defeated Candace Avalos, an administrator at Portland State University, to win election to a term that was officially to begin in January 2021.[6][7] She was sworn into office a few days before that, on December 28, 2020.[8]
She was endorsed by Oregon Governor Tina Kotek in June.[10]
In September 2024, Rubio lost two mayoral endorsements, including one from transportation non-profit The Street Trust Action Fund and the labor union Laborers' International Union of North America Local 737. Street Trust continued to endorse Rubio after the report of her driving record, however rescinded their support after the parking lot incident where Rubio hit a parked car and only contacted the owner after a note was left on her car by the Tesla's owner.[11]
Personal life
In September 2024, The Oregonian reported that Rubio had received over 150 citations for parking and traffic violations in Multnomah County since 2001. Her driver's license was suspended six times between 2001 and 2016 due to unpaid fines and failure to appear in court.[12]
