| Villaraigosa
defeats Hahn |
| Becomes
first Hispanic mayor of L.A. in 133 years |
Agencies
Councilman
Antonio Villaraigosa trounced Mayor James Hahn
to become the city's first Hispanic mayor in
more than a century, as voters turned to the
promise of change in a metropolis troubled by
gridlock, gang crime and failing schools.
 |
| Los Angeles City Councilman Antonio Villarraigosa
holds up a gift of a grain of rice with his
name written on it on the Venice boardwalk
in Los Angeles, May 16, 2005. |
Tuesday's 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. Instead, the mayor was repeatedly
forced to explain an ongoing corruption probe
at City Hall. The election will have an impact within Los Angeles
and beyond. Villaraigosa's decisive victory immediately
places him among the front rank of the nation's
Latino political elite, while his city becomes
the largest in America to be led by a Hispanic
mayor.
In a victory speech before thousands of supporters
in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday night, Villaraigosa,
52, paid tribute to his heritage while promising
to be a mayor who would bring all of 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," Advertisement"Our
purpose is to bring this great city together."
With votes from 98 percent of the city's precincts
counted by Wednesday, Villaraigosa had 258,405
votes, or 59 percent, to 182,582 votes, or
41 percent, for Hahn.
He will become the first Hispanic mayor since
Cristobal Aguilar left office in 1872 after
presiding for two terms over what was then
a dusty outpost
of only about 5,000 people on the nation's
Western frontier.
Villaraigosa's election marked a personal milestone
as well in what has been an up-by-the-boostraps
story. Raised by a single mother in a barrio
neighborhood on the edge of California State
University, Los Angeles, Villaraigosa dropped
out of high school and once sported a tattoo
that proclaimed "Born to Raise Hell."
Inspired by a teacher to resume his education,
he eventually earned a law degree and was elected
to the state Assembly in 1994, where he quickly
became speaker. Forced out by term limits in
2000, he ran unsuccessfully against Hahn for
mayor in 2001, then was elected to the City
Council in 2003.
Now mayor-elect, 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.
He has proposed to expand the city's limited
subway system, but hasn't said how he would
pay for it. He has also promised to make education
a priority, although as mayor he has no direct
control over city schools.
After defeating Villaraigosa in 2001, Hahn
delivered on his promise to reduce overall
crime in the
city. But the incumbent was damaged by allegations
that his administration exchanged city contracts
for campaign donations, and his aloof image
left many with the impression that he was out
of touch
with voters.
"
You know, maybe I have a charisma deficit disorder,
but I've done the job people have elected me
to do," Hahn said after casting his vote
Tuesday.
In addition to reducing crime, Hahn also
took credit for turning back a voter initiative
that would have allowed the San Fernando
Valley
to
secede from Los Angeles.
Ironically, both those successes hurt him
with the voter bases that elected him
four years
ago.
His work to stop secession alienated
white voters in the San Fernando Valley
and his
ouster of
the city's black police chief, Bernard
Parks, cost him support among black
voters.
Hahn, who called Villaraigosa early
Wednesday to concede becomes the
city's first mayor
ousted by voters since Sam Yorty
lost to Tom Bradley,
the city's only black mayor, 32 years
ago. Had he won, it would have been
the 54-year-old
Hahn's
seventh consecutive victory, beginning
with his election as city controller
in 1981.
He went
on to win four consecutive terms
as city attorney before being elected
mayor.
Villaraigosa's campaign was also
hindered by ethics concerns. He
recently returned
nearly
$50,000 in campaign contributions
from employees of two Florida companies
with possible interests
in gaining concession contracts
at Los Angeles International Airport.
Still, a Los Angeles Times exit
poll found voters had a much
more favorable
view of
Villaraigosa than Hahn and believed
he could do a better
job
of improving schools and easing
traffic congestion.
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| Working
to improve economic ties between the two
region |
| Afghanistan,
Pakistan angry at Newsweek |
Agencies
Afghanistan's
government said Tuesday that Newsweek should
be held responsible for damages caused by deadly
anti-American demonstrations after the magazine
alleged U.S. desecration of the Quran, and it
suggested that foreign forces may have helped
turn protests violent.
Pakistan joined the international criticism of
the magazine's article and said Newsweek's apology
and retraction were "not enough."
The article, published in Newsweek's May 9 edition,
said U.S. investigators found evidence that interrogators
at the military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,
put copies of Islam's holy book in washrooms
and flushed one book down the toilet to try to
get inmates to talk.
The article sparked protests in several other
Muslim countries.
Afghan presidential spokesman Jawed Ludin said
Newsweek's retraction Monday was a "positive
step" toward clearing up concern about the
report.
"
But at the same time, we feel angered at the
way this story has been handled," Ludin
told a news conference Tuesday. "It's only
fair to say at this stage that Newsweek can be
held responsible for the damages caused by their
story."
Following the article, violent anti-American
demonstrations erupted in several Afghan cities,
and about 15 people were killed in clashes
with security forces. A string of government
and relief
organization offices were ransacked before
police and troops restored order.
Ludin said the government suspected that "elements
from within and outside Afghanistan" had
helped turn peaceful protests violent.
More than 500 inmates at Guantanamo were captured
during the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan
to oust the hardline Islamic Taliban regime
and
end al-Qaida's influence over the deeply religious
country.
Afghans' strong feelings about Guantanamo "also
provided a reason for the enemies of Afghanistan
and for those who are keen to cause destruction
in Afghanistan to ... cause the riots," Ludin
said.
Col. Gary Cheek, commander of U.S. forces in
eastern Afghanistan, said Monday he knew of
no sign that Taliban-led militants had provoked
trouble.
But Ludin said the Afghan government found
evidence of a "foreign hand" in the eastern
city of Jalalabad, where the worst violence occurred.
He claimed students in the city, close to the
Pakistani border, had returned in disgust to
their campus after their protest turned ugly.
Ludin would not say whether Pakistan, which
lost influence in Afghanistan with the fall
of the
Taliban and has sparred repeatedly with Kabul
over the ability of militants to shelter on
its territory, was suspected of fomenting the
violence.
"
We're still investigating and trying to collect
more information," he said. "Then we'll
be ready to discuss the related people and organizations."
He added, "The president believes this is
a reaction to that."Pakistani officials
also expressed anger that the magazine got its
story wrong.
"
Just an apology is not enough. They should think
101 times before publishing news that hurts hearts," Information
Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said in Islamabad.
In Saudi Arabia, the country's top religious
authority Tuesday condemned the alleged
desecration and urged an investigation
into the report.
Grand Mufti Adul-Aziz al-Sheik issued his
statement a day after Newsweek retracted
its report,
saying a full inquiry still should be launched "to
alleviate the sorrow that befell Muslims."
"
We condemn and denounce this criminal act against
Muslims' most sacred item," al-Sheik said.
Saudi Arabia is a close U.S. ally that
considers itself the protector of Islam
and its holiest
sites.
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