Former Arroyo Grande mayoral candidate Gaea Powell will juggle the court responsibilities of representing herself in an election fraud case with a 2026 campaign to run for San Luis Obispo County clerk-recorder.
“I ran for mayor of Arroyo Grande because I refused to sit quietly while government overreach, corruption, and anti-American policies crept deeper into our communities and schools,” Powell said. “Once charges were unjustly filed against me in another attempt to silence my voice, I realized running for clerk-recorder was imperative, as this role is essential to restore honesty, accountability, and transparency to the election processes.”
The SLO County District Attorney’s Office charged Powell for reportedly filing false nomination papers for her candidacy and voting fraudulently during her 2022 and 2024 campaigns for Arroyo Grande mayor. She also allegedly committed the misdemeanor of failing to provide written notification within 48 hours to the secretary of state, the local filing officer, and each of her fellow mayoral candidates of receiving or expending $2,000 or more in a calendar year.
According to the county declaration about qualifications to run for the clerk-recorder post, a person can’t be eligible for election to any state or local office if they’re convicted of a felony involving accepting or giving, or offering to give, any bribe; embezzling public money; extortion or theft of public money; perjury; or conspiracy to commit any of those crimes. With two of the nine charges against Powell being perjury, she stands to be disqualified from the clerk-recorder race if convicted.
Assistant DA Eric Dobroth declined to respond to New Times’ questions because his office is prosecuting Powell.
Powell told New Times that she isn’t concerned about the possibility of conviction, adding that she trusts “fair” and “impartial” SLO Superior Court Judge Timothy Covello who presides over her case.
“Because I expect to be found not guilty, because I am. I believe the DA wanted to bury me under a pile of charges and irrelevant data to force a plea, remove me from public life, and use me as a political warning to others: ‘Stay quiet or we’ll come for you too,’” Powell said via email. “I will fight, I will expose, I will appeal if necessary—and I will win.”
Powell, the founder of Central Coast Thermography, will face incumbent Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano and N-Hance Wood Refinishing owner Vanessa Rozo in the 2026 election for the post.
“I like Vanessa. She told me God called her to run, and I believe she’s well-intentioned, but I do not have confidence she is prepared for a job of this magnitude, particularly at this time in our history,” Powell said. “It requires someone who understands political systems, who recognizes government overreach when they see it, and who will not be intimidated by bureaucrats, prosecutors, or anyone for that matter.”
Rozo responded saying the Clerk-Recorder’s Office isn’t a political office but a strictly administrative and legal function that shouldn’t be “infected” by political bias.
“The steel required here is the steel of nonpartisanship and legal objectivity. My focus is not on ‘recognizing government overreach,’ but on ensuring government compliance with the California Elections Code and the Public Records Act,” Rozo told New Times via email. “I offer voters decades of private-sector management and legal expertise—a background that proves I am accountable to the law and the taxpayer, not to political systems or partisan groups.
“I am not running to dismantle government; I am running to manage it with maximum integrity, competence, and impartiality,” she said.
Powell said she trusts many of the clerk-recorder’s core services, like recordation, licensing, and gathering vital records. But according to her, Cano’s office lacks transparency, accountability, system management, and neutrality.
She pointed to a 2023 SLO County grand jury report that said the Clerk-Recorder’s Office didn’t have standard operating procedures—instructions that describe each step of the election process.
The grand jury said that an accidental omission of two candidate statements in some voter information guides and an error in the ballot wording of a school district measure prompted its report.
Cano told New Times that she’s since implemented formal standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure clarity, transparency, and accountability.
“These newly created SOPs were included in my official response to the grand jury’s findings and were formally filed with the Superior Court,” she said. “Since that time, staff has continued and will continue to improve, expand, and create documented procedures for each of the functions and tasks we perform.”
Powell also said that Cano forwarded complaints about her, former Paso Robles school board candidate Hunter Breese, and convicted former SLO County 3rd District candidate Michelle Morrow to the DA’s Office instead of referring them to the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPCC).
“Some may disagree with me on my stance that her actions meet the legal definition of ‘election interference,’ and her actions absolutely destroys trust in an unbiased investigatory process and discourages others from running for office,” she said. “My policy will be simple: No collaboration with prosecutors on political or candidate matters unless the law explicitly requires it. Cooperation, not collaboration.”
According to Cano, Powell’s claims about contacting the FPCC are incorrect. The commission enforces the Political Reform Act, not alleged violations of the Elections Code or citizen complaints about candidates.
“When complaints involve election administration or candidate filing issues, they are legally and appropriately handled by my office or referred to the district attorney or secretary of state,” Cano said. “Coordinating with the proper enforcement agency is both lawful and necessary to uphold public trust and protect the integrity of the election process in San Luis Obispo County.” ∆
This article appears in Dec 11-18, 2025.
This individual is concerning. Yesterday she filed a federal lawsuit against the clerk-recorder. She is unable to look inwards…showing porn in public meetings, charged with multiple felonies…the list of “bad choices” just rambles along. Hopefully she will get help when sent to the “big house.”