A Poway City Council member has been accused by his own fellow city leaders of bribery and extortion after he threatened a recall effort against another council member if the colleague did not vote the way he wanted. The accused council member, Tony Blain, also said in emails that he would vote yes for his fellow council member, Peter De Hoff, to become deputy mayor in exchange for De Hoff voting “yes” for a special election to fill a council seat that’s currently up for grabs. Blain denies having threatened De Hoff. Courtesy of City of PowayPoway City Councilmember Tony Blain Other emails show Blain also demanded police action against two residents who complained to him in emails about his behavior. Blain said he contacted police because he felt threatened and unsafe. Poway city leaders and experts said Blain’s emails appear to violate state law, which prohibits bribery to public officials in exchange for votes. Carl Luna, a political science professor at the University of San Diego, said he had reviewed the emails to De Hoff and they appear to constitute a violation of state law that prohibits vote trading, or quid pro quo exchanges. “It embarrasses me to have this public discussion, but Blain has forced our hand,” Poway Mayor Steve Vaus said. “We have no other choice but to formally address this incredibly troubling behavior.” Vaus said that “the appropriate steps have been taken” regarding Blain. “I have full confidence in our legal system and our (district attorney’s) office,” Vaus said. In an interview, Blain said the accusations against him are “all politically motivated, false lies.” “There’s nothing going on except for my attempt to be cooperative and work with City Council members,” Blain said. Blain, a physician, was elected to the District 2 seat in November and took office last month. He  campaigned on holding politicians accountable, instituting council term limits, lowering water rates and bringing back “honesty, integrity and transparency” to City Hall. In an email to De Hoff dated Dec. 26, Blain said he would launch a recall effort against De Hoff if he did not vote in favor of a special election — rather than an appointment — to replace the council’s District 1 representative, Brian Pepin, who is resigning. “You have my word we will NOT do your Recall if you vote Jan. 21 in favor of what MOST D1 residents want … If you do not, I will immediately file Recall Notice with City Clerk,” Blain wrote in the Dec. 26 email. Blain also suggested in another email that he would vote to make De Hoff the deputy mayor in exchange for De Hoff voting for the special election. Courtesy city of PowayPeter De Hoff is a Poway City Council member. (Courtesy city of Poway) “I might be persuaded to vote Yes on you for Deputy Mayor also if you vote Yes on Special Election, since that would show you are willing to work with new Councilmembers,” Blain wrote in a Dec. 22 email to De Hoff. Finally, Blain also threatened a recall effort against one of the people who applied for an appointment to the open District 1 seat, Chris Pikus. He told Pikus in an email that if Pikus were to be appointed and then vote against a special election for the District 1 seat, Blain would “immediately” launch a recall effort against him. De Hoff said he was stunned by Blain’s emails and they won’t influence his votes. He had Blain’s emails included in the City Council agenda for Tuesday night’s meeting, when the council was set to discuss how to fill the District 1 seat, “in the interests of honesty, integrity, and transparency,” he said. “I didn’t respond to any of those emails, because it’s straight illegal stuff,” De Hoff said in an interview. “I’m not going to let it influence me, because that’s ethically wrong.” City leaders also say Blain has acted inappropriately by demanding police action against at least two constituents who have written him emails to complain about his behavior. One of those constituents told Blain in a Dec. 29 email that he had reported two of Blain’s posts on NextDoor as bullying. “You are now a servant of the City. Your bullying tactics will not be tolerated anymore,” the resident wrote. Blain responded that he didn’t consider his comments bullying, but factual. After an email back-and-forth in which the constituent called Blain a bully and Blain accused the constituent of harassment, Blain asked City Manager Chris Hazeltine to file a police report on the resident and send police to the person’s house. Hazeltine wrote back to Blain that he was unable to do so, consistent with the city attorney’s “previous explanation about the illegalities of such actions.” A different constituent wrote to Blain on Jan. 3, saying he thinks Blain had blocked him from his “Tony Blain Poway Mayor 2026” Facebook page. “As a District 2 resident, I would like your assurance that I am not being blocked on a social media site where you are discussing your intentions concerning your current issues before the council,” the resident wrote to Blain. Blain forwarded that email to the city attorney and city manager, asking them to help him get a restraining order against the constituent, who he accused of harassment. “If you communicate with me in any way again, I will file a police report,” Blain told the constituent. Unlike the emails to De Hoff, the constituents’ emails were not included in the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting.