An SLO County jury convicted Powell on all nine election-fraud counts.

A jury conviction on election-fraud counts ends the trial phase. Sentencing is still ahead. On Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow announced that a jury convicted Gaea Edde Powell, an Arroyo Grande mayoral candidate, on all nine counts, eight felonies and one misdemeanor, tied to the 2022 and 2024 mayoral cycles.

The jury began deliberating at 9:00 a.m. and returned verdicts at 3:00 p.m. after a ten-day trial. It found her 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, the misdemeanor; 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. Those are the counts the District Attorney stated. Monday was the verdict. It was not a sentence.

The District Attorney said the evidence showed she registered and voted using a James Way address inside the Arroyo Grande city limits while residing on Heritage Lane, outside the city limits, from 2022 through 2024. That is the evidence theme the office described. It is not a term of imprisonment. Deputy District Attorney Ben Blumenthal of the Public Integrity Unit prosecuted the case. Powell represented herself at trial after waiving her right to counsel. She remains out of custody pending sentencing under special terms. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 19, 2026, in Department 5 of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, Judge Timothy S. Covello presiding. The Probation Department will prepare a pre-sentence report. A report and a date are process. They are not a prison term. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.