On Monday, a judge granted the request of former Arroyo Grande mayoral candidate, Gaea Powell, to represent herself.
Powell is currently facing criminal charges for the 2022 and 2024 elections, where the DA’s office alleges that she filed a false declaration of candidacy, and failed to file campaign finance reports and perjury by declaration.
The DA’s office says that she registered to vote at an address in the city of Arroyo Grande where she did not live, and instead lived in a rural part of the county outside of city limits. The presiding judge for this case advised Powell to not represent herself due to her lack of legal experience.
She is due back in court October 20th, and faces up to nine years in prison if convicted.
