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WEEKLY NEWS 2: LA Elects First Hispanic Mayor in 133 Years

Los Angeles councilman Antonio Villaraigosa won an overwhelming victory Tuesday in his bid for mayor of the second largest city in the United States. Villaraigosa defeated incumbent James Hahn, the same man he had run against--and lost to--four years ago. Villaraigosa will become the first Hispanic mayor of Los Angeles since 1872.

Villaraigosa took 59 percent of the vote compared to Hahn’s 41 percent. Hahn’s administration has been plagued by accusations of corruption. In the last few weeks of the campaign, Villaraigosa characterized his opponent as a “do-nothing” mayor who was unable to do his job because of corruption investigations.

The new mayor, a 52-year-old, was a high school dropout who later went back to school and turned his life around. He became a lawyer, and later, speaker of the state Assembly. Villaraigosa told supporters Tuesday night, “I will never forget where I came from, and I will always believe in the people of Los Angeles.”

Villaraigosa, a Democrat, had campaigned as a candidate who could unify all of the city’s diverse ethnic groups. About 48 percent of the population of Los Angeles is Hispanic, 31 percent white, 11 percent Asian, and ten percent African-American.

Los Angeles has changed a great deal since its last Hispanic mayor, Cristobal Aguila, was elected in 1872. At that time today’s sprawling city of 3.8 million was home to a mere 5,000 people. (contributing: CBC News)

--Written by Patricia Daniels

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