Steve Vaus

Steve Vaus (also known as Buck Howdy; born April 7, 1962) is an American recording artist and politician who was elected mayor of Poway, California in 2014 and re-elected in 2018. In 2020, he ran for a position on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, losing narrowly to Joel Anderson.

Early life and education
Vaus was born in Los Angeles. As a child, he lived on a cattle ranch in Grants Pass, Oregon and in Westchester County, New York. After graduating from Eisenhower College in Seneca Falls, New York, Vaus relocated to San Diego to be closer to his parents.

Music
Vaus primarily records country music and country music for children. He is also known for his Christmas recordings including The Stars Come Out for Christmas series. Vaus established "Carols by Candlelight" in 1990, a charity fundraiser for various charities serving children including Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego which has become a 34-year San Diego tradition. In 1992, Vaus's song "We Must Take America Back" reached #68 on Hot Country Songs.

Vaus has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, winning the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children in 2010.

Politics
Steve Vaus was elected in 2012 to a four-year term on the Poway City Council. On November 4, 2014, he was elected mayor of Poway. He has been praised for his response to the Poway synagogue shooting in 2019, and he told the world that "we will put our arms around one another and walk through this dark day together".

Vaus served as Chair of the San Diego Association of Governments from 2018 to 2020.

In May 2019, Vaus announced his candidacy for a seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. In the March 3, 2020 primary, he advanced to the general election. He ran against another Republican, state senator Joel Anderson. He lists his priorities as protecting the county from wildfire and crime, protecting open space, and encouraging the development of more housing. His campaign was endorsed by the editorial board of The San Diego Union-Tribune.

He lost this election by 282 votes, or 0.09% of the 289,924 votes counted in the election. In 2022 he was elected to a third four-year term as mayor of Poway.