Los Angeles elects first Latino mayor since 1872

Los Angeles will have its first Latino mayor in over 125 years as a result of the May 17 run-off election. City Council member Antonio Villaraigosa soundly defeated incumbent Mayor James Hahn, by 59 percent to 41 percent of the votes.

Los Angeles has a Latino population that is 46 percent of the 3.9 million people who live here. It is the biggest U.S. city ever to elect a Latino mayor. The last time it happened was in 1872, when the population was just 5,000.

Raised in an impoverished East Los Angeles neighborhood, Villaraigosa was a high-school drop-out who spent his early days working as a union organizer for United Teachers of Los Angeles and the Bus Riders Union. He is also the former head of the Southern California chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Hahn and Villaraigosa faced each other in a rematch of the 2001 run-off, but this time it was Villaraigosa who won.

It didn't hurt that Hahn had federal investigations hanging over his campaign for shady fundraising. The last year of his term had been fraught with nearly a dozen resignations at City Hall due to his administration's involvement in the scandal.

As an assemblyperson for the California legislature and later the assembly speaker, Villaraigosa had the kind of voting record you might get shot for in another state. He is viewed as pro-labor and pro-immigrant and he played a pivotal role in drawing attention to the Justice for Janitors campaign of Service Employees Local 1877.

As a city council member, he was credited with helping to resolve a 2003 transit strike, which most thought favorable for the workers. But unlike the 2001 race, the County Federation of Labor endorsed Hahn instead of Villarigosa. Even though Hahn had this coveted labor endorsement, polls showed Villaraigosa had the unwavering support of much of the union rank and file.

There couldn't be a more critical time to have a vocal immigrant-rights advocate and offspring of Mexican immigrants at the helm in City Hall.

The last year has been a harsh one for immigrants in Southern California. Latino communities have been targeted by immigration agents who follow families home from church and often detain the undocumented, splitting families in a half. Day laborers have been increasingly harassed by law enforcement, taken into custody and deported.

And now the Minute Men who are “guarding� the border in Arizona are threatening to organize in California, with the governor’s blessing.

Significantly, Villaraigosa's support doubled among Black voters since the 2001 election, reaching 48 percent. Outgoing Mayor Hahn is the son of former Mayor Kenneth Hahn, who was supported in his time by the African American political leadership in Los Angeles. That reputation helped Hahn win against Villaraigosa in the previous contest.

In a city where the media often point to a “schism� between the African American and Latin@ communities, the shift in support during this election is significant.

Across the board, Villaraigosa gained support in every community, but the turn-out among Latino voters has been widely described as a surge. According to a poll by the Los Angeles Times, the Latin@ electorate reached 25 percent of the total<\m>up from 22 percent in the 2001 run-off. It marks the highest turnout in modern history, up from just 10 percent in the 1993 mayoral race.

Among Latin@ voters, Villaraigosa won 84 percent of the vote. Turnout was highest in East L.A., where Villaraigosa grew up.

Villaraigosa, who will be sworn in July 1, made his victory speech just before midnight on election night in downtown Los Angeles. He promised, “I will never forget where I came from,� as a diverse crowd of supporters chanted, “Si se puede.�