A San Luis Obispo County judge on Monday granted a former Arroyo Grande mayoral candidate’s request to represent herself in the criminal case against her.

Gaea Powell, who ran for Arroyo Grande mayor in the 2022 and 2024 elections, was charged in June with voter registration fraud, filing a false declaration of candidacy, fraudulent voting, failure to file campaign finance reports and perjury by declaration.

She’s pleaded not guilty.

According to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office, during a motion hearing on Monday, the judge granted Powell’s request to represent herself.

Court records show prior to granting that request, Santa Maria-based attorney Andrew Jennings was representing Powell. KSBY reached out to him by phone but has not yet received a response.

The DA’s

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