The virtual candidate

Reminiscent of Burger King's "subservient chicken," mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio now has a "video town hall" on his campaign website. Against the virtual backdrop of a well-appointed office—complete with fireplace and a view of a portion of the downtown San Diego skyline—DeMaio answers a number of pre-fab questions ranging from "Do you work out" to "What is your view on the Chargers stadium?" And, if you take too long to ask a question, you'll get a pitch for his San Diego 311 smartphone app.

Responses range from enlightening (who knew Carl liked zombie flicks?) to predictable (his favorite vacation spot is San Diego) to fact-check worthy: In response to "Do you have any unique talents?" Carl claims he doesn't require a teleprompter to give a speech. But, according to invoices we reviewed, taxpayers footed the bill to rent DeMaio a teleprompter for both his 2009 and 2011 "State of the District" addresses (plus rental cost for a pre-speech rehearsal). We also have some issues with his response to the question "Do you have any pets?"