Arroyo Grande mayor candidate charged with election fraud — including 8 felonies
The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office has filed nine election fraud charges against an Arroyo Grande mayoral candidate.
According to a news release, on Wednesday the district attorney filed charges of voter registration fraud, filing a false declaration of candidacy, fraudulent voting, failure to file campaign finance reports, and perjury by declaration against Gaea Powell, a Republican candidate who ran for mayor of Arroyo Grande in 2022 and 2024.
“The integrity of our electoral system depends on all participants following the law, and my office will not tolerate attempts to undermine that integrity through fraudulent conduct,” District Attorney Dan Dow said in the release. “Ms. Powell’s alleged actions over multiple election cycles represent a serious breach of the public trust, and these charges demonstrate our commitment to holding accountable anyone who attempts to manipulate our elections processes.”
“We will always dutifully follow the evidence wherever it leads to ensure that the community can trust that there will be accountability without any political bias or motivation,” Dow continued.
According to the release, the complaint alleges that Powell committed the crime of voter registration fraud on July 12, 2022, when she registered to vote at an address in Arroyo Grande where she did not live.
Powell lived in a rural part of the county near Arroyo Grande outside of city limits that is not part of the jurisdiction of the city, the DA’s Office said.
The offenses of falsely declaring the location of her residence under penalty of perjury, submitting false nomination papers, failing to file campaign finance reports as required by law and voting in the Nov. 8, 2022, election where she was not legally entitled to vote all also occurred during the 2022 election cycle, according to the release.
In 2024, Powell voted in the March 5 election where she was not legally entitled to cast a ballot, falsely declared under penalty of perjury the location of her residence, submitted false nomination papers and voted in the Nov. 5, 2024, election where she was not legally entitled to vote, according to the release.
She was also charged with knowingly failing to notify state and local election officers of campaign finance transactions of over $2,000, according to the charge sheet.
Powell faces eight felonies and one misdemeanor as a result of her alleged actions, according to the release.
“Election security and integrity are of the utmost importance,” SLO County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano said in a statement on Thursday. “My office will always support law enforcement efforts to ensure that any allegation of fraudulent activity is investigated and handled promptly and appropriately.”
Where did Gaea Powell live during the 2022 and 2024 elections?
During the nomination period for the November 2024 General Election, Cano confirmed that the residence addresses provided by Powell and Paso Robles school board candidate Hunter M. Breese when filing for candidacy — both submitted under penalty of perjury — matched the addresses listed in their current voter registration records.
At a Sept. 19 Arroyo Grande election forum, Powell said she rents at a pair of residences: a house on Heritage Lane outside of city limits and a condominium on James Way.
“I moved into the city limits because I wanted to run for mayor, but I’ve lived — I have another property that’s outside of it in an unincorporated area, so I have two properties,” Powell said at the forum. “So it’s a little bit misleading,” she said in reference to the claims about her residency status.
Arroyo Grande’s municipal elections code specifies that for the election of council members, “any candidate for City Council must reside in, and be a registered voter in, the district in which he or she seeks election at the time nomination papers are issued,” but does not state the same rule for mayoral elections.
At the time, Powell told The Tribune that she does not split her time between the residences and due to the health challenges of her elderly dogs and landlord on Heritage Lane, had “been anchored to that property” and lived there full time.
“Once both of those situations resolve, most likely, within months to a year, I will be free to stay where I wish,” she wrote in a text message to The Tribune. “If timing works out, we will then most likely rent the entire condo on James Way, or maybe purchase it.”
Powell said she spent time at the condo during her first campaign for mayor in 2022 but did not live there full time.
According to voter registration data obtained by The Tribune, Powell is registered to vote at the condo on James Way — but so is her boss at Pathways To Health, David Marquis.
Marquis is the registered owner of the home, and the property’s taxes are billed to him at a mailing address in San Clemente, according to county public records, the Regrid Property App and the property’s deed obtained by the Tribune, but he said he rented to Powell.
Even though she didn’t live there, Powell shared with The Tribune an email exchange between her and the city that she said “proves I have done nothing illegal to the best of my knowledge.”
Powell said she sought and received confirmation from the city on multiple occasions that there are no rules in the City’s Municipal Code requiring candidates with multiple residences to reside at their address inside the city limits for a certain amount of time in order to file candidacy papers and run for office.
“There are currently no residency restrictions related to time spent at one residence within the city limits versus at another outside city limits,” Arroyo Grande legislative and information services director and city clerk Jessica Matson told Powell in the July 2023 email exchange, specifically on the question about where someone can live as they launch their candidacy.
“A candidate does need to be a registered voter within the city limits,” Matson also wrote to Powell, pursuant to section 201 of the California Elections Code.
Powell: Investigation ‘should alarm folks’
Powell rose to political prominence and local notoriety for her activism opposing access for transgender students, along with her allegations that local school libraries contained pornographic material.
She also infamously displayed sexually explicit photographs and videos in objection to the county Board of Supervisors’ 2024 Pride Month declaration.
In a text message to The Tribune on Thursday morning, Powell said she believed the person leading the investigation into her residency during the election was biased against her.
Powell said she has cooperated with the investigation and complied with all search warrants, including access to data from her T-Mobile, Google, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and NextDoor accounts.
She said that she was concerned with the investigation’s look at her private data, including data from anyone who has corresponded with her over the time span in question. She said the investigation “should alarm folks.”
Powell defended her actions, adding that she was looking forward to reviewing the charges and data to defend herself. She plans to represent herself in the court proceedings, she said.
“As I have stated from the beginning, from my understanding, I have not broken any laws,” Powell said in the text. “I followed the guidance of the (Arroyo Grande) city clerk as I am not a politician and am new at this.”
“I will always speak against what I believe are unjust laws and policies no matter what the consequences and let our constitutional laws guide me,” Powell concluded.
What happens next?
Powell’s case will be prosecuted by the Public Integrity Unit of the District Attorney’s Office, according to the release.
Arraignment will be scheduled after Powell surrenders to Court, files a bond, or is booked on the criminal complaint, according to the release.
Sentences for a conviction of the alleged crimes may include a period of probation or County Jail confinement, or both, according to the release.
This story was originally published June 26, 2025 at 10:12 AM.
