Vega Pederson won't seek reelection in 2026
Multnomah County chair acknowledges difficulties she has faced in the role
Jessica Vega Pederson will not seek a second term as Multnomah County chair.
“This is not a decision I’ve made lightly,” Vega Pederson said in a video announcement Wednesday that noted the difficulties she has faced.
Vega Pederson, elected chair in November 2022, has battled other elected officials who disagreed with her approach to many issues, especially homelessness.
Vega Pederson, 50, faced backlash as the county distributed straws and aluminum foil for fentanyl users as part of its harm reduction strategy. The county also faced accusations that it hasn’t efficiently spent hundreds of millions of dollars from a tax on high earners meant to reduce the region’s homeless crisis.
“This was a really, really tough decision,” she told The Oregonian/Oregonlive. “Ultimately, we’re at a stage where my kids are getting older, and one of my kids is getting ready to go off to college. It seems like the right time for me to be making a transition in my life, too.”
According to a 2024 poll commissioned by The Oregonian/OregonLive, Vega Pederson had the lowest approval rating of all local elected officials. Just 11% of respondents thought she was managing the county well.
“I knew the road ahead would be hard, and it has been,” she said in her announcement. “These past few years have tested all of us. I’ve made tough calls. I’ve taken hits. That’s part of the job.”
Veda Pederson’s successor will be chosen by ranked-choice voting in November 2026. Her salary is $253,496 a year.
At long last! Two County Chairs in a row who have failed miserably in dealing effectively with the homeless issue. Hopefully Portland voters will FINALLY elect someone with common sense and an orientation toward results and spending taxpayer money effectively.
It is highway robbery that this position is paid this much and is obviously not held to any sort of positive result or minimum amount of basic competence at all. The taxpayers are being absolutely fleeced. I’m glad she is seeing herself out.