Villaraigosa

2005 Turnout 30.61%
260,721	58.7%
Hahn	183,749	41.3%
Final semi-official/City Clerk
2001 Turnout 37.67%
Hahn	304,791	53.53%
Villaraigosa	264,611	46.47%

Antonio Villaraigosa swept in by a landslide to become the first Latino mayor-elect of Los Angeles since Cristobal Aguilar in the 1870s. He automatically becomes the nation's leading Latino mayor, of course, and one of the top Latino elected officials in the country. None of that was missed on anybody in the crowd of thousands downtown at what may have been the largest Los Angeles election night party ever. Villaraigosa credited Tom Bradley (the city's first modern African American mayor) for coming before him, and also gave a gracious, if brief, eulogy on the political career of James K. Hahn: "...a man who has given many decades of service to the city of Los Angeles...a big man from a big family." Also noted: Bill Rosendahl of Mighty Mar Vista won the 11th district seat on the City Council, replacing Cindy Miscikowski.

It's late, so here's just a few scraps out of my notebook of the night:

• Villaraigosa meets the media today at 9:30 in the Crenshaw area, then probably makes a not-officially-scheduled visit to the City Council chambers before heading to Taft High School in Woodland Hills. Hahn faces the cameras at noon at his Wilshire headquarters.

• Villaraigosa, joined on stage by all four of his children and his wife Corina, thanked his late mother Natalia at length. He also mentioned Herman Katz, the high school teacher he credits with shaping his life, and requested a moment of silence for the late labor leader Miguel Contreras, "my brother...we love you Miguel."

• The other big winner of the night seems to be Councilman Jack Weiss. He jumped on the Villaraigosa express early and was tapped to introduce him on Tuesday night, over Speaker Fabian Nuñez, state Democratic chair Art Torres, or Council President Alex Padilla (who all spoke briefly.)

• School board president Jose Huizar looks to be the Villaraigosa camp's favored successor as councilman from the 14th district. A special election will be held.

• Councilman Tony Cardenas owes Steve Lopez a steak. On primary election night in March, Cardenas bet the Times columnist that Villaraigosa wouldn't win, saying Los Angeles wasn't ready to elect a Latino. After holding out to the end before endorsing Villaraigosa, Cardenas was conspicuously absent from the speaker lineup at the election party.

• Marc Cooper was the first of the Huffington Post bloggers to get an entry up on Villaraigosa's win. The L.A. Times blog drew an assortment of posters, including Patt Morrison and Steve Lopez from the staff, D.J. Waldie, Richard Riordan, Hugh Hewitt, Joel Kotkin, Carol Platt Liebau, Linda Griego, Joe Domanick, David DeVoss and Anthony York. All have bios and photos over there.

• That second indictment in the City Hall influence investigations that Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam D. Kamenstein advised the court was coming never did happen.

• A Hahn email sent before the polls closed claimed in a big headline that an exit poll showed him tied at 49%. The email never says another word about the alleged poll. Another Hahn email on Tuesday took a final swipe at Villaraigosa's past leadership of the ACLU.

• Villaraigosa actually got more votes in 2001, but Hahn's collapse was utter. More than 120,000 votes he received last time weren't there for him on Tuesday. And, for the record, my guess on the outcome was way wrong. I undershot Villaraigosa's margin by half, predicting he would only win by 7 to 9 points.