Campbell’s reputation as a sleepy town once known for prunes and Western wear shops—and more recently for its Oktoberfest and Mardi Gras parties—might need an update, as it can now be argued that it has become one of the Bay Area’s hot spots for progressive politics.

Fly noticed a familiar, comely face in the corner of MercuryNews.com last week but was slightly confused to see a blue and orange PG&E logo where Evan Low’s dimple should be.

The trail-blazing, openly gay mayor of Campbell, shilling for PG&E? It turns out to be an ad for the much-maligned SmartMeter Program, the PG&E initiative to replace all old power meters with digital ones supposedly designed to provide more accurate readouts and give customers a better way to monitor their gas and electricity usage.