Poway Mayor · Nov 3, 2026
Steve Vaus
Candidate for Mayor (incumbent)
Steve Vaus, the incumbent, is running for mayor of Poway in the Nov 3, 2026 election, against Jenny Maeda and Dellena Olps.
Election day: General Municipal Election · Tue, Nov 3, 2026
Poway's mayor for 12 years, after two years on the City Council, and a music production company operator. Serves on the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority board and previously chaired SANDAG.
- Occupation (from candidate statement)
- Mayor/Business Owner
Where Steve Vaus stands: positions on the record
Development1 sourced position
Said a project with the legal right to be built can be built, and urged residents to give input at predevelopment conferences.
“If there’s a threat to health and safety we’ll work to stop it, but otherwise we listen and make decisions that are based on the law”
Forum answerSan Diego Union-Tribune · Sep 30, 2026
Permitting1 sourced position
as reported by the Union-Tribune; not a direct quote
Advocated a self-certification program, as Phoenix has, letting pre-qualified professionals certify building code compliance instead of waiting for standard plan review.
Forum answerSan Diego Union-Tribune · Sep 30, 2026
AI data centers1 sourced position
Worked with Councilmember Anita Edmondson to bring the ordinance banning large third-party AI data centers to council.
“This is a land use decision, not an anti-technology decision”
Own statementCity of Poway · Sep 17, 2026
Open space1 sourced position
as reported by the Union-Tribune; not a direct quote
Said he will preserve hillsides and ridgelines by acquiring more open space.
Own statementSan Diego Union-Tribune · Aug 18, 2026
Also running for Mayor
All 6 Poway candidates →Every claim here links to its source and was checked against it before publishing. How this guide works →
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