POWAY ELECTION 2026 – MAYOR
Incumbent Steve Vaus is going for his fourth term in office as Poway Mayor. The city is shook from the radical housing development on Poway Rd and in The Farm. Many believe the Cowboy Mayor is ignoring the city’s motto “The City in the Country.” IMHO that motto is a feel-good expression of “the good old days” when Poway was a country down. Those days have been gone for decades, well before Vaus became mayor.
There has been a small but vocal group of opponents that have been aiming for Vaus every election and they typically come up short. But that small group had success ousting incumbent councilmember Caylin Frank and blocking the Lifetime Fitness project. Will Vaus survive this time? I say he will. He won 63% of the vote in 2018 but only 55% in 2022. The margin is getting slimmer as more people are frustrated with change around the city. However, his “Old Poway Guard” base remains mostly loyal. Vaus has promoted various policies that are politically calculated like banning data centers (as if a massive complex would be built in Poway where land, water and energy are expensive). He has also proposed a foolish idea of the City getting into the housing business by providing funds for ADUs on Poway property. There are accusations of corruption against Vaus particularly with the uproar over the new housing along Poway Rd. His non-profit Candles by Candlelight event evokes feel good Christmas vibes, but it smells of a conflict of interest with city contractors lining up to sponsor the event.
If the opposition had rallied around a single candidate, then I think Vaus could be in trouble. But instead, they are running two candidates in Councilmember Jenny Maeda and long-time citizen activist Delenna Olps. These two opponents represent foolish infighting amongst the Progressive/Dem wing in Poway. Community activist Chris Cruse, who has noteworthy influence in town, is backing MAHA candidate Jenny Maeda. Meanwhile, the San Diego Democratic Party and other left-leaning voters are supporting Olps. If the Olps name sounds familiar it is because her husband Chris Olps has been a long-time opposition candidate and Vaus recall organizer. I don’t have a dawg in this race. I have misgivings about all three, particularly Olps. I am not endorsing any of them. But I predict that Vaus will cruise (pun intended) to another victory as the vocal opposition licks their wounds again.
POWAY ELECTION 2026 – DISTRICT 3
I know something about District 3. I lived in that zone for nearly 20 years. The incumbent Peter De Hoff is under fire by the anti-development and anti-Vaus crowd in Poway. Many have pointed out De Hoff’s flip flopping on issues. I always found him to be something of a pretend Philosopher King that felt he was better equipped to understand the issues than the general populace. He also published an anonymous website commenting on Poway issues and avoided being called out at the author. De Hoff never struck me as a trustworthy council member as he would say one thing but do another. His opponent is Bob Walder who is aligned with the Chris Cruse wing of the opposition. Walder is trying to avoid endorsing a mayoral candidate in the hope that he can gain all the anti-establishment votes. Walder is smart. Walder is also politically savvy. He claims to be for “responsible growth” and community input on development. I see him more as another NIMBY that wants to tell property owners what they can or cannot do with their own land. He claims to support property rights, but his policies clearly demonstrate he wants to violate those rights. This is the wrong approach when we are in a housing affordability crisis. Despite my misgivings, I think Walder has a real shot to win this race.
POWAY ELECTION 2026 – DISTRICT 1
Incumbent (and appointed) Christoper Pikus is running unopposed. This really surprised me. There are a number of good candidates in that district that have run before but are choosing not to this time. It is disappointing. Whether one supports Pikus or not, it is healthy to have an opposition candidate so the incumbent can be held accountable for their voting record. Plus, with all the political chaos in Poway, I think a new face could have won this race. Where’s Johnny Carson? Where is Hiram Soto’s voice? My friend Pete Neild always has something to say. Is Jon Ryan still in town?