Embattled Poway Councilmember Tony Blain was charged with four felonies and a misdemeanor Friday, less than two weeks away from his recall election.
The District Attorney's Office charged Blaine with perjury, asking for a bribe, soliciting a bribe and destruction of public papers, as well as a misdemeanor for stealing a campaign sign.
The charging document says Blain committed perjury on or about Sept. 24, 2024, by allegedly swearing in a complaint to the Fair Political Practices Commission that he was a current Poway councilmember before being elected.
Blain is also accused of one count of asking for a bribe and another of soliciting a bribe. In those charges, the D.A.'s filing says between Dec. 22, 2024 and Jan. 9, 2025, he allegedly agreed to vote for appointing Councilmember Peter De Hoff as deputy mayor in exchange for De Hoff's vote in favor of a special election to fill a council vacancy.
The complaint also alleges that between Dec. 7, 2024, and Sept. 18, 2025, Blain knowingly destroyed "communications relating to city business that were subject to discloser under the California Public Records Act" and took steps to "evade compliance with that Act."
Blain was elected to the Poway City Council in December. Problems started almost immediately. He was accused of vote trading, and threatening and harassing city staffers and other officials, including City Attorney Alan Fenstermacher, who lashed out during a council meeting in January.
In February, Blain was censured by the Poway City Council, a first for the city. In April, the city took an unprecedented step of suing Blain, its own council member, to force him to comply with the California Public Records Act and to stop him from destroying records.
The city said the lawsuit was filed as a "last resort to prevent significant liability for the city."
In June, he was arrested by the D.A.'s office as part of an investigation. He is currently facing a recall election for the same issues that he’s been charged with. John Couvrette with the Recall Tony Blain Campaign calls it a vindication.
"This is an outcome of good people doing the right thing and saving the good life that we have here in Poway," he said. "And Tony was very quickly, in his capacity, tarnishing that way of life that we have here."
Blain's campaign manager, Steve Marietti, who has denied the accusations against the councilmember in the past, declined to comment at this time. A call to Blain's attorney seeking comment was not returned.
Blain is an Army Reserve doctor who is currently deployed. The D.A.'s office said Blain's arraignment is set for Nov. 3, a day before the special election.
It's unclear how the charges might affect his deployment. He is facing up to four years for the perjury and bribery charges, and three years for destroying public documents. The misdemeanor charge carries a maximum sentence of six months.
