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Introducing The Powegian

BY HIRAM SOTO

Thursday, October 7, 2021

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TODAY WE ARE INTRODUCING THE POWEGIAN! We are the first citizen-driven media platform in Poway that brings together diverse perspectives about the policies that shape life in the “City in the Country.”

IF YOU’VE DRIVEN AROUND POWAY ROAD IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, you’ll notice that our city is changing. Massive development threatens to erode our small-town feel, from a giant Amazon warehouse overlooking the south side of the city to four-story buildings and traffic snares throughout the week.

FIRST, A QUICK INTRODUCTION: My name is Hiram Soto and I’m your neighbor and the publisher of ThePowegian.org. I want to personally invite you to share your perspective about how Poway is changing and what we should do about it. Type away, neighbors! If it’s fair, factual and helps drive the conversation forward in a respectful way, WE WILL PUBLISH IT. Let’s get this started.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW: WATER RATES. The City Council wants to raise them by almost 40 percent. Here is our story and how you can get involved.

Mayor Steve Vaus and the City Council made it very difficult to protest effectively. To block the hikes, the majority of customers (50+1) need to file written protests (oral comments or emails don't count). To protest the rate increases, you must send a letter to the City Clerk of the City of Poway, PO Box 789 Poway, CA 92074-0789 by November 2, 2021.

SPEAKING OF WATER, Poway resident C.H. Currier says we waste thousands of gallons of water per year by letting it evaporate from our pools. He went online and bought something called a liquid solar blanket.

This is C.H. Currier’s pool. every week, hundreds of gallons of water evaporate from his pool. During the summer, it’s almost 3000 gallons a month. See how much water he saved with over-the-counter remedies.

FINALLY, ELECTIONS ARE COMING UP NEXT YEAR, and one Powegian has already announced he is running for District 1, which covers the west side of Poway. His name is Brian Pepin, and he is a former lobbyist for a developer who wanted to build 50 homes in some of Poway’s most beautiful open spaces. I had a beer with him the other day, and chatted about politics and his political ambitions. Here’s the piece and a summary below:

Pepin is the president of the developer-funded Lincoln Club, which was at the center of several voter misinformation campaigns in San Diego County in the last couple of campaign cycles (see here and here)
He is also a funder and longtime supporter of Mayor Steve Vaus and other City Council members. Vaus appointed Pepin to Poway’s Budget Review Committee
He announced his run for Poway City Council on September 21, 2021. He plans to kick off his campaign on October 7 (TODAY!) at the Hop Stop in Old Poway in case you want to stop by and have a beer with him too.

I asked him whether he plans to get appointed to the position before the November elections when Councilmember Grosch retires. It’s a tactic Vaus and the City Council uses to get developer-friendly politicians on the council. Remember when Caylin Frank was appointed in 2018 to City Council less than three months after moving to Poway, despite protests from the community? How can we forget? Let’s see if voters do.

THAT’S A WRAP, folks! We will send our next newsletter soon. If you’re interested in writing a story or sharing your perspective and getting featured in The Powegian Newsletter, send us a note!!

The Powegian, 13308 Midland Rd #361 , Poway, CA 92064, United States

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Introducing The Powegian

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