Hispanic claims big win in L.A. mayoral race

LOS ANGELES — Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa savored his win over Mayor James Hahn, saying Wednesday that the difference this time compared with the 2001 election was "simple — people knew me better."

Villaraigosa, who lost to Hahn four years ago, was elected as the city's first Hispanic mayor in more than a century as voters embraced the promise of change in a metropolis troubled by gridlock, gangs and failing schools.

Tuesday's election confirms the rising political power of Latinos in the nation's second-largest city.

In a victory speech before thousands of supporters in downtown Los Angeles, Villaraigosa, 52, paid tribute to his heritage while promising to bring the city's diverse racial and ethnic groups together.

"I stand here today because people believed in me. I want you to know I believe in you as well," he said amid chants of "Si, se puede," Spanish for "Yes, we can."

"Our purpose is to bring this great city together."

At another appearance Wednesday, he praised Hahn, calling him "a good man. He's provided two decades of public service to the city. We share a love of the city."

The election was a resounding defeat for Hahn, who was unable to keep his campaign focused on Los Angeles' falling crime rate and rising job growth. After a lackluster term tainted by corruption allegations at City Hall, Hahn was turned out of office in favor of a high school dropout who turned his life around to become speaker of the California Assembly and then a member of the Los Angeles City Council.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Villaraigosa had 260,721 votes, or 59 percent, to 183,749 votes, or 41 percent, for Hahn. In the 2001 runoff, Hahn defeated Villaraigosa, 53 percent to 46 percent.

Villaraigosa's decisive victory immediately places him among the front rank of the nation's Latino political elite.

But he said Wednesday: "I'm not, frankly, that concerned about being a national leader. I ran for mayor. I'm going to focus on the job."

When he is sworn in July 1, Villaraigosa will become the first Hispanic mayor of Los Angeles since 1872, back when the city was merely a dusty outpost of about 5,000 residents. Hahn, the scion of a prominent political family, becomes the first Los Angeles mayor in 32 years to be bounced from office.

Villaraigosa must find solutions to the problems he pointed out during the campaign — gang crime that terrorizes poor neighborhoods, a lack of affordable housing and worsening traffic congestion.

The bruising runoff between the two Democrats was a rematch of the 2001 election, in which Hahn rallied to defeat Villaraigosa and win his first term. Villaraigosa came back strong this year, nearly ousting Hahn in the March primary.

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