SLO County election fraud trial: What to know

Former Slow County candidate Gaya Powell is representing herself against nine election fraud charges at the Slow County Courthouse. Here's where the trial stands as of now. Hi, my name is Libby Hanson and I'm a reporter with the Slow Tribune. Powell's trial was set to start on August 31st but didn't get started until September 1st because she called out sick the first day. Judge Timothy Caveo told her the court didn't believe her that she was sick after she submitted a note from a chiropractor. Powell is facing these charges after being accused of falsifying her address on her voter registration and candidacy paperwork when running for the Arroyo Grande mayor in 2022 and 2024. The complaint said that Powell listed a second address that she did not live at instead of her permanent residence which was actually outside of the city limits. After jury selection, opening statements started on September 4th in which Powell told the court that at the time she didn't know anything about elections. Deputy District Attorney Ben Blumenthal laid out the case that tied to her residency during the 2022 and 2024 campaigns. After the opening statements came witnesses that included the landlords of both of the addresses that Powell has claimed to reside at and have also included the Arroyo Grande city clerk as well as the Slough County clerk recorder. After the opening statements came witnesses that included the landlords of both of the addresses that Powell has claimed to reside at and have also included the Arroyo Grande city clerk as well as the Slough County clerk recorder. What's most notable about this trial are the delays and confusion throughout the court proceedings as Powell attempts to represent herself. When cross-examining the prosecution's witnesses, she's met with objection over objection, the prosecution claiming that her questions are vague or irrelevant, and further her misunderstandings of court proceedings has led the judge to dismiss the jury on multiple instances so that they can explain the rules to Powell. And Judge Caveo has told Powell that she has been submitting evidence too late, that she has been calling subpoenas too late, and that her questions were increasingly becoming more irrelevant throughout the trial. So that's what we've seen so far in this case. The prosecution's witnesses will continue to be called until about Thursday afternoon where Powell's witnesses will then be called to the stand starting as early as Friday morning. And as always the Tribune will keep you updated on any important ongoings regarding this case. So for more information make sure to check out the Tribune's coverage at sanlucibispo.com.