Election fraud suspect’s witness issues, case winding down

September 15, 2026

Gaea Powell, photo by Jeff Specht

By KAREN VELIE

The San Luis Obispo County woman facing eight felony election fraud charges failed to properly serve multiple witnesses, resulting in the judge denying her the ability to question several people, including SLO County Democratic Party Chair Tom Fulks. The court plans to have the parties provide their closing statements on Thursday.

Powell’s husband served several people with subpoenas that asked them to appear a week before they were served. In Fulks’ case, Powell’s husband improperly served a volunteer at SLO County Democratic Party headquarters.

Prosecutors charged Gaea Powell in June 2025 with violating multiple election laws when she ran for mayor of Arroyo Grande in 2022 and 2024. She allegedly registered to vote at an address on James Way in Arroyo Grande where she did not live, and failed to properly report income and campaign expenditures.

Powell has argued that multiple people conspired against her because they do not want her to run for office in the future. She also claimed Fulks sent an inappropriate email to SLO County Clerk Elaina Cano.

Powell’s landlord ran into Fulks in 2024 and asked him if the laws requiring a candidate to live in the city where they are registered to vote had changed, the landlord testified. On Sept. 22, 2024, Fulks sent Cano an email informing her that Powell appeared to be violating the rules.

“I know you’re super busy with elections coming up and don’t have a lot of time for any nonsense,” Fulks wrote. “This note is not nonsense. I am writing to tell you that a candidate for mayor of Arroyo Grande is not actually a resident of the city of Arroyo Grande.

“Candidate Gaea Powell, running on a platform of voter integrity, has lived at 567 Heritage Lane in rural AG for the last five years. This is not within the city of Arroyo Grande’s incorporated boundaries.

“I have absolute, ironclad proof of this. I am told that Ms. Powell registered to vote at a different address at a business within the city boundary. I expect it is easy to look up. Thought you might want to know, all things considered.

“If I have to, and I’d rather not, I can prove this. The source, Powell’s current landlord for the past five years, does not want their name involved in this. I trust you understand.”

On Monday, with the jury out of the courtroom, Powell argued that she was being prosecuted for fraud, but accused of a residency crime. However, Powell was unable to define a residency crime.

During her opening statement, Powell said she would do the same thing again. She claimed that if you rent two properties, you have the right to register to vote at either property.

Yesterday, the Riverside County District Attorneys Office announced it had filed four felony charges against Menifee City Council candidate Randolph Oscar Madrid for registering to vote and filing candidacy paperwork using an address where he didn’t live.

If convicted on all counts, Madrid faces a maximum of five years in state prison.

Accused of committing similar offenses during two different elections, Powell faces up to eight years and seven months in prison.

Powell told the court on Monday she is not planning to testify. Both Powell and the prosecutor are expected to make their closing statements on Thursday afternoon.

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