Efforts by the Poway City Council to fill an open seat on Tuesday night led to a vote to appoint Christopher Pikus to the seat and several calls from residents for the resignation of Council member Tony Blain.
While a majority of the speakers at the meeting supported a special election for the open seat on District 1, the council voted 3-2 in favor of appointing Pikus, a master engineer at Broadcom and member of the Poway Budget Review Committee from 2022-24. Out of six candidates who applied for the position, five of them made presentations at the meeting.
Council member Peter De Hoff complimented Pikus on his resume, which he said included a law degree, engineering background, and understanding of the budget process.
“Everyone has different skill sets that they bring to the table,” De Hoff said before recommending Pikus to fill the vacancy. “District 1 needs someone who can onboard quickly and who understands water rates and budgets.”
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Pikus will serve until his term ends after the November 2026 general election.
New council members Jenny Maeda and Blain voted against the appointment.
Blain came under fire Tuesday over accusations of bribery and extortion over several emails he sent, which were included in the agenda. In one email to De Hoff, Blain threatened De Hoff with a recall effort if he did not vote in favor of a special election for the open seat.
In another, he said he would vote yes for De Hoff to become deputy mayor in exchange for De Hoff voting “yes” for a special election.
De Hoff, Mayor Steve Vaus and others said Blain’s emails appear to violate state law, which prohibits bribery to public officials in exchange for votes.
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“I cannot see this as anything other than vote trading and extortion by a public official,” De Hoff said. “This is unprecedented and unacceptable.”
Speaker Yuri Bohlen said the process of deciding between an appointment or special election was “overshadowed by the unethical behavior of Tony Blain.” Bohlen asked him to resign.
In an interview before the meeting, Blain said the accusations against him were “all politically motivated, false lies.”
“There’s nothing going on except for my attempt to be cooperative and work with City Council members,” Blain told The San Diego Union-Tribune.
He didn’t comment directly on the accusations during the meeting.
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Tony Blain, Poway City Councilmember
Vaus said before the meeting that “the appropriate steps have been taken” regarding Blain. “I have full confidence in our legal system and our (district attorney’s) office,” he said.
Later, De Hoff made a motion to discuss formally censuring Blain at the Feb. 4 City Council meeting, which was backed by other council members.
The open council seat has been a topic of controversy since Council member Brian Pepin, who represents District 1, announced in late November that he would be resigning to focus on his political and communications consulting company, 1892 LLC.
The council voted unanimously Dec. 3 to replace Pepin by appointment instead of holding a special election, with council members saying an appointment would be quicker and less expensive than an election.
The San Diego County Registrar of Voters estimated it would cost $225,000 to $300,000 for a standard special election, and $150,000 to $225,000 for an all-mail election, according to a staff report. At the earliest, an in-person and by-mail special election could be held on Nov. 4, and an all-mail election could be held on Aug. 26, according to the report.
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At several meetings, residents have demanded a special election, saying the council has made three appointments since 2015 and that the people should have a say.
On Tuesday, 11 residents spoke in favor of a special election and 22 written submissions supported the election.
Hiram Soto, who ran for council against Pepin in 2022, told the council that he believes the council majority wants the appointment to keep control of the council.
Melissa Morris said a special election would build public trust. Appointments are not the way democracy is defined, she said.
Morris also said that the large audience at the council meeting was evidence of the desire for public participation in government.
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She asked the council that if they appoint a new council member that it be a temporary appointment and a special election should also be held “so people can approve or disapprove of your choice.”
Anita Anders, a 20-year resident of Poway, however, favored a council appointment. Anders said a special election could be costly and District 1 needs immediate representation.
“Let’s choose one candidate who is qualified and let’s get on with the business of running a city,” Anders said.
The city started accepting applications from potential candidates to fill Pepin’s vacant seat on Dec. 4 and had received six by the Jan. 10 deadline.
The candidates were Pikus; Gregg Brandalise, owner and founder of Blindfold Studios, a Poway-based company that produces voice-over recordings; John Carson, a self-employed businessman who serves on the boards of a number of Poway organizations; Hannah Mondo, founder and owner of the creative communications business, Mondo Creative, and a former legislative aide; Peter James Neild, an employee of Mind Rhythm Inc. and founder, CEO and president of Heart Force Science Group; and Ronald Allan Romero, an author and editor. Romero was not at the meeting.
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When Pikus took his place at the dais after his appointment, he said he intends to listen to the constituents and follow in the footsteps of his role model, former Councilman Dave Grosch.
“It’s truly an honor to serve you,” Pikus told the audience. “I intend to put in effort to do justice to the position and serve the people of Poway.”
Pepin voted on the appointment after City Attorney Alan Fenstermacher denied a challenge from Soto and resident Chris Cruse, who argued that he shouldn’t participate because he and his family vacated their residence shortly after he submitted his resignation letter and rented it out on Jan. 15.
In other action, the council voted 3-2, with Blain and Maeda opposed, to name De Hoff as deputy mayor.
Near the end of the meeting, City Manager Chris Hazeltine told Blain that he has filed a complaint with the city’s Human Resources Department about his actions, which he said included “bullying, threatening, intimidating and retaliatory behavior.”
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When Blain’s turn to speak came up at the council comment portion of the meeting, he would only say that Fenstermacher had “contributed thousands of dollars” to Vaus’ campaign in the past. A visibly angry Fenstermacher said in response that he did nothing legally wrong by contributing $500 to Vaus’ campaign for the county Board of Supervisors in 2020.
He said Blain had threatened to fire him a number of times and had sent him multiple emails demanding his resignation even though Fenstermacher said he had done his job and answered his questions “in great detail.”
“You are a bully. You ‘ve been harassing me for months and I’ve tried to be professional,” Fenstermacher said. “This is enough.”
He said he had considered resigning.
“You are a walking liability that has consistently ignored my advice on numerous important issues and I take no responsibility for the legal trouble you will inevitably get this city into and have already gotten yourself into,” he said.
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Fenstermacher said he would no longer answer emails from Blain unless directed by a majority of the council.
San Diego Union-Tribune staff writer Kristen Taketa contributed to this story
Padres roster review: Miguel Andujar – San Diego Union-Tribune
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MIGUEL ANDUJAR
Position(s): Third base, left field, first base
Bats / Throws: Right / Right
2026 opening day age: 31
Height / Weight: 6-foot / 211 pounds
How acquired: Signed as a free agent in February 2026
Contract status: Will make $1.5 million in 2026, with the opportunity to earn another $2 million-plus in performance bonuses; his $4 million guarantee includes a $2.5 million buyout against an $8 million mutual option for 2027.
.986 — Andujar’s OPS against left-handed pitching in 2025, the second-highest mark of his career and well above his career .807 OPS against southpaws. Andujar had been below .600 in 2021 and 2022 before jumping to .871 in 2023 and a career-high .995 in 2024.
TRENDING
Up — Signed for $700,000 out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old in the international amateur market, Andujar needed two years to get out of the Yankees’ rookie-ball affiliate in the Gulf Coast League and finally cracked top-100 lists ahead of the 2018 season — No. 59 at Baseball America and No. 65 at MLB.com — after reaching Triple-A following a 16-homer season (.850 OPS). Andujar even made his MLB debut as a 22-year-old in 2017 and looked like he’d be a big part of the Yankees’ future after pairing 27 homers and 92 RBIs with an .855 OPS in finishing second to Shohei Ohtani in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2018. But a right shoulder labrum tear derailed Andujar in 2019 and Andujar was never able to grab a starting job again in New York. The Pirates claimed him late in 2022 and then the Athletics claimed him after the 2023 season. By then, he’d developed into a platoon player with defensive limitations. Andujar had a .697 OPS in 75 games in his first year with the Athletics and a .765 OPS in 60 games last year when, after missing time with a right oblique strain, he was shipped to the Reds for a minor league pitcher. Andujar went on to hit .359/.400/.544 with four homers and 17 RBIs in 34 games to help the Reds lock up a wild-card spot. He was 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout in the NL Wild Card Series sweep at the hands of the Dodgers.
Miguel Andujar #41 of the San Diego Padres participates in drills during spring training workouts at the Peoria Sports Complex on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026 in Peoria, Ariz.(Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
2026 OUTLOOK
The need for right-handed balance in the lineup was painfully obvious in the Padres’ NL Wild Card Series loss to the Cubs, so Andujar became a target after 1B/OF Ryan O’Hearn walked as a free agent. Expect Andujar to get at-bats against lefties as either a DH, first base, third base or left field — the spots he’s been playing in spring training.
Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of the Chaldean Catholic bishop of San Diego, California, a decision announced Tuesday by the Vatican after the bishop was arrested on embezzlement charges. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said last week it had arrested Bishop Emmanuel Shaleta on Thursday at San Diego International Airport as he tried to leave the country, reports the AP. The office said it acted after someone from Shaleta’s church provided a statement and documentation “showing potential embezzlement from the church.” Shaleta was being held on $125,000 bail on eight counts of embezzlement, money laundering, and aggravated white collar crime, the statement said. Shaleta pleaded not guilty on Monday, reports NBC San Diego.
“He was on his way to Germany,” prosecutor Joel Madero said. “Given his access to funds, the fact that he had over $9,000 in the bag when he was stopped, and the fact that he has these international ties … I do believe that some bail to ensure he shows up is appropriate.” There was no immediate reply to an email sent to Shaleta’s parish, St. Peter Chaldean Church, seeking comment and contact information for his attorney. The Vatican said in its daily bulletin Tuesday that Leo had accepted Shaleta’s resignation under the code of canon law for eastern rite churches that allows for the pope to agree if a bishop asks to step down.
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Leo actually accepted the resignation when Shaleta presented it in February, but an announcement was not made until Tuesday, according to the Vatican embassy in Washington. The Holy See appears to have waited to announce the decision to avoid interfering with the police investigation. Leo named Bishop Saad Hanna Sirop as a temporary administrator. Shaleta, 69, was ordained a priest of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Detroit in 1984. He was named to the San Diego branch of the eastern rite Catholic Church in the US in 2017.
36.9 — The percentage of groundballs that Márquez yielded in 2025, a career low and significantly below his career average (48%). Márquez’s groundball rate was regularly above 50% before requiring Tommy John surgery in early 2023. He made one start in 2024 and struggled mightily while making 26 starts last year.
TRENDING
Down — Márquez had a 4.40 ERA through his first seven years in the majors, not bad considering he pitched roughly half his games at one of the best hitting environments in the majors. In fact, Márquez has a 5.17 ERA in his career at Coors Field and a 4.22 ERA in road environments. But Márquez underwent Tommy John surgery early in 2023, made one start in the majors in mid-July in 2024 (4 IP, 3 ER) and struggled throughout his first full year back in the Rockies rotation. The season was so difficult for Márquez that he was actually worse on the road (7.32 ERA) than he was in 11 starts at Coors Field (5.98 ERA). His strikeout rate (5.9 per nine innings) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.73) were the worst of his careers, as was his walk rate (3.4 per nine innings), while his hit rate (12.0 per nine innings) was the second worst of his career. On top of that, Márquez’s groundball rate was also the lowest of his career (see stat to note) and ranked in the bottom 22nd percentile of the league and his hard-hit rate (48.5%) and average exit velocity (91.7 mph) both ranked in the bottom 2 percentile of the league. One reason: a 94.8 mph four-seamer is down a few ticks than the height of his effectiveness. Márquez reached free agency after the season and signed with the Padres in February.
2026 OUTLOOK
Márquez has a big-league deal with the Padres, but he’ll have to rediscover his pre-elbow-reconstruction form to hold onto a roster spot, as RHP Griffin Canning (Achilles) is expected to push for a spot at some point this season and the likes of LHP JP Sears, RHP Matt Waldron and minor league signees like Marco Gonzales could warrant looks if Márquez’s struggles continue into 2026.
German Marquez #33 of the San Diego Padres participates in drills during spring training workouts at the Peoria Sports Complex on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026 in Peoria, Ariz.(Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
