Mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa is first Los Angeles mayor with Mexican-American roots since 1872, when Mayor Cristobal Aguilar completed his second term. Los Angeles was founded as a Spanish colony in 1781. California became a state in 1848; by 1872, it had 50 counties and a population of just under a milion (due in part to the gold rush). Today, LA County alone has 10 million citizens; the population of the city, 3.7 million.

Villaraigosa defeated Mayor James Hahn, 59 percent to 41 percent. Hahn became the first incumbent mayor not to win re-election since the Great Depression. Villaraigosa told the press - and citizens of LA - that "I'm an American of Mexican descent and I intend to be a mayor for all Los Angeles."

The Washington Post notes that major cities are being shaped by a third wave of immigrants. The 2000 US Census showed that Latinos accounted for 47 percent of L.A. residents. This week, they flexed the muscle of a dominant minority: 25 percent of the city's electorate.

This was Villaraigosa's second try at the office; in 2001, he lost in the race against Hahn. In the intervening years, he put together an effective coalition. LA Times exit polling data suggest he took 48 percent of the black vote, 50 percent of the white vote, and 84 percent of the Latino vote.

This story of a former high school dropout is the quintessential story of the American dream.