Former Arroyo Grande mayoral candidate Gaea Powell was set to begin her fraud trial on Aug. 31, but her claims of sudden illness delayed the process.
Powell’s absence that day prompted Judge Timothy Covello to issue an arrest warrant to be held until 1:30 p.m. on Sep. 1, contingent on her appearing in court.
Powell arrived on time on Sept. 1, leading to Covello recalling the warrant and admonishing her.
“Unless you’re so unwell you physically can’t be here … you’re ordered to be present. You understand that?” he said.
The criminal case against Powell is more than a year old. The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office alleged she registered as a voter under a false Arroyo Grande address in 2022, while living in an unincorporated area outside the city’s jurisdiction. The DA’s Office claimed that she filed false nomination papers and fraudulently voted in the 2022 and 2024 election cycles.
Throughout court hearings over the past year, Powell insisted on forgoing an attorney and chose to represent herself to fight the nine felony charges filed against her. But she changed her mind, she told the judge on Sept. 1, saying that her illness stemmed from being anxious after “hitting a wall” while working on her case.
“I think at this point because of my health and ability … I think it would probably be wise to go ahead and request an attorney,” she said.
Prosecutor and Deputy DA Ben Blumenthal reminded the court that Powell had missed her chance.
“This court made it incredibly clear to Ms. Powell early in the proceedings that if she were to request counsel on the eve of the trial, the court would not grant that request,” he said.
The judge agreed, adding that the court couldn’t have done more to stress the risks of self-representation.
Covello also refuted the doctor’s note that Powell presented as evidence of her illness. Dated Sept. 1, the note from Dr. Alana Amber Runnerstrum stated she reported conditions like lightheadedness, severe fatigue, diarrhea, and an inability to speak clearly. It also speculated that she suffered from severe anxiety, according to Covello.
“I don’t know if any of the things in the note are things discovered by your doctor or things you’ve self-reported … and that gives the court very, very grievous concern,” he said. “I’ve been doing this in one form or another for 30 years. There are all sorts of things that are anxiety-inducing for lawyers, jurors … witnesses who are subpoenaed.”
Blumenthal pointed out that Runnerstrum’s office address in Arroyo Grande was the same as the one listed under Powell’s Central Coast Thermography business. He added that, as of Sept. 1, Powell’s business website still accepted new clients, despite her claim that she was sick.
‘This court made it incredibly clear to Ms. Powell early in the proceedings that if she were to request counsel on the eve of the trial, the court would not grant that request.’
—Ben Blumenthal, prosecutor and deputy district attorney
Covello brought up other examples that he said discredited Powell’s statement about being ill.
Despite claiming she was unwell for “quite some time,” Powell never alerted the court about her conditions in past hearings, according to the judge. The weekend before her trial, Powell even submitted an eight-page document “full of good questions,” “well-raised points,” and “legal analysis” while allegedly being unwell.
But he also reprimanded her for prioritizing civil cases over the criminal case against her.
In the last year, Powell sued the city of Arroyo Grande and City Clerk Jessica Matson for allegedly refusing to disclose public records she requested and not identifying a reported court order for sealing. The case was dismissed without prejudice.
Powell also filed a $1.5 million federal lawsuit against SLO County and county Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano. U.S. Magistrate Judge David Bristow dismissed that case too. Powell lost to Cano in the race to be the next county clerk-recorder during the June primary.
In July, Powell sued her employer and one-time landlord David Marquis for breach of contract.
“When you’re watching a marathon, and you’re watching these marathon runners training and training, their bodies fail them, and that’s what happened,” Powell told the judge. “I actually enjoy it, I love it. I had no idea about the law. I overworked, … I was foolish to try and do it all by myself.”
The jury selection for the criminal case is ongoing. ∆
This article appears in Sept 3-10, 2026.
