Jury convicts Arroyo Grande mayoral candidate on nine counts of election fraud
Gaea Edde Powell.
Powell was convicted of eight felonies and one misdemeanor following a 10-day trial
– A San Luis Obispo County jury convicted Arroyo Grande mayoral candidate Gaea Edde Powell on all nine charges of election fraud arising from the 2022 and 2024 Arroyo Grande mayoral election cycles, according to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office.
The jury began deliberating at 9 a.m. Sept. 21 and returned its verdicts at 3 p.m. Powell was convicted of eight felonies and one misdemeanor. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 19 in Department 5 of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, with Judge Timothy S. Covello presiding.
Following a 10-day trial, the jury found Powell guilty of voter registration fraud on July 12, 2022; perjury by declaration on July 18, 2022; filing false nomination or declaration papers on Aug. 8, 2022; failure to provide written notification under the Political Reform Act on Oct. 10, 2022; fraudulent voting in the Nov. 8, 2022, election; fraudulent voting in the March 5, 2024, election; perjury by declaration on July 16, 2024; filing false nomination or declaration papers on Aug. 1, 2024; and fraudulent voting in the Nov. 5, 2024, election. The voter registration fraud, perjury, false filing, and fraudulent voting charges were felonies. The failure to provide written notification charge was a misdemeanor.
The District Attorney’s Office said evidence at trial showed Powell registered to vote on July 12, 2022, using an address on James Way inside the Arroyo Grande city limits. Prosecutors said she subsequently represented that address as her residence in a declaration signed under penalty of perjury on July 18, 2022; nomination papers and a declaration of candidacy filed Aug. 8, 2022; another declaration under penalty of perjury on July 16, 2024; and nomination papers filed Aug. 1, 2024.
Prosecutors said Powell used ballots issued to that address to vote in the November 2022, March 2024, and November 2024 elections.
The District Attorney’s Office said evidence showed Powell lived solely at a home on Heritage Lane in unincorporated Arroyo Grande from 2022 through 2024. The home was outside the Arroyo Grande city limits and outside the city’s jurisdiction, according to the office.
Under California law, a person may register and vote only at the person’s domicile, meaning the place where the person’s habitation is fixed and to which the person intends to return. A person may have only one domicile at a time. The court took judicial notice of Elections Code sections 349, 2021, and 2024 and read those provisions to the jury.
Jurors also heard that on June 30, 2022, the Arroyo Grande City Clerk advised Powell that people who live outside the city limits were not eligible to run for office in Arroyo Grande. The District Attorney’s Office said the City Clerk also discussed campaign finance reporting obligations with Powell on July 18, 2022, including requirements triggered when a campaign raises or spends $2,000 or more.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Powell filed a short-form statement indicating that she did not intend to raise or spend more than $2,000. Prosecutors said she took an active role in raising and spending more than $2,000 on campaign mailers, did not file the required amended notification, and denied knowledge of the mailers when contacted by the Fair Political Practices Commission.
The prosecution also introduced statements Powell made before the November 2024 election. The District Attorney’s Office said Powell wrote online that an improperly registered voter could influence an election where that voter did not live, “damaging the integrity of local elections.” In an email to a reporter, Powell wrote that if a ballot is sent to an address that is not a person’s current residence and that address is in a different city or county, “that vote would be cast in an area the voter should not be voting in.”
Powell represented herself at trial after waiving her right to counsel. In closing arguments, Deputy District Attorney Ben Blumenthal told jurors, “This is not about left versus right or right versus left. This is about what is right and wrong.”
District Attorney Dan Dow said the jury listened to witnesses and considered the case over several weeks.
“I am grateful for the hard work this jury put into a case that stretched over several weeks. They listened carefully to every witness and did the hard work our system asks of ordinary citizens,” said District Attorney Dan Dow. “This case is about accountability under the law for everyone, so that voters can have more trust in the election process. The integrity of our elections is paramount. This verdict makes clear that voters must register to vote in accordance with the law, and that potential candidates must be lawfully registered to vote in the jurisdiction where they intend to run for public office. Justice is blind. The law applies to everyone, no matter their status in the community and no matter their political affiliation, and every defendant will be treated fairly by this District Attorney’s Office.”
Powell remains out of custody pending sentencing under special terms, including a court order restraining her from molesting, annoying, threatening, or harassing any non-law enforcement witnesses in the case. Those witnesses include her landlord, former business partner, and the Arroyo Grande City Clerk, each of whom testified at trial.
The Probation Department will prepare a pre-sentence report with a sentencing recommendation for the court’s reference.
