By Evelina Alarcon

People's Weekly World

LOS ANGELES - It was painful to see denied what could have been the election of the city's first Mexican-American mayor in more than 100 years and the city's first trade unionist mayor ever. But while hearts were broken, the determination and wherewithal to win in the future is stronger than ever.

Antonio Villaraigosa's campaign both stirred and solidified a new coalition that has the potential to transform the city. The new coalition is a labor/community bedrock of multiracial, multinational unity based on issues that many people in Los Angeles share - living wages, equality for all, family health care, environmental justice, immigrant rights and quality education. That reality won't go away. You could see it on election night when 5,200 Villaraigosa supporters gathered at a street party, bursting with enthusiasm with the hope of seeing the new people's agenda begin.

Sparks of excitement had ignited the get-out-the-vote effort. Thousands of volunteers took to the streets. The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor was a champion of this campaign. Latinos broke voter turn out records. The Sierra Club, the National Organization for Women, Jewish organizations, gay and lesbian organizations, students and a multitude of African-American leaders were enthusiastic coalition partners.

Unions like the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees, the Service Employees International Union and the United Farm Workers formed a new non-partisan group, the Organization of Los Angeles Workers. This organization turned out the Latino vote in East Los Angeles, the Northeast San Fernando Valley, Pico/Union and the harbor area.

This organization turned those communities into the strongholds of Latino voter turnout. That turnout was a milestone, with Latinos making up 22 percent of the total vote, three times more than in the 1993 mayoral race. Some 82 percent voted for Villaraigosa, proving wrong a Los Angeles Times a poll a week before, which predicted that he would only get 57 percent of Latino votes.

Villaraigosa should have won. In fact, the momentum was going his way until a torrent of racist ads appeared from opponent James Hahn's campaign, which made voters think that Villaraigosa was a supporter of drug dealers. The visual of a crack cocaine pipe, with Villaraigosa in the background, presented a false image of Villaraigosa as a dishonest criminal who could not be trusted. When these messages hit, the polls began to change. What emerged was a fear that a Mexican-American mayor could not be trusted to run the city.

Added to this was Hahn's claims that Villaraigosa was "soft on crime" and that he would only represent his own group and not the multiracial, multinational population of the whole city. Even though Villaraigosa's history is one of strong multiracial coalition building, Hahn's counter-message had a negative impact.

In essence, these anti-Mexican/anti-Latino messages were no different than what former Gov. Pete Wilson, an ultra-right Republican, used to get reelected in 1994. The extreme right uses anti-immigrant and racist messages to break the growing coalition united against it.

Unfortunately, in this case, the ugly message was carried by a liberal Democrat who placed an election victory ahead of racial harmony.

The unusual voter bloc that elected Hahn was made up of Republicans, conservatives and moderates, as well as African Americans. It was not surprising that Republicans and conservative voters would choose Hahn over Villaraigosa. Villaraigosa is a progressive who came out of the labor movement. The extreme right and corporate interests were concerned about that.

Although Villaraigosa won the strong support of many prominent African-American leaders and ministers, including City Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas and Los Angeles School Board President Genethia Hayes, the big question is why did most African-American voters choose Hahn? That is more complicated.

Black and Latinos have a history of voting and working together on mutual areas of interest, against Gov. Wilson, against racism and police brutality, and for quality, integrated public education. Mexican Americans have a long record of voting for African Americans for public office.

Former Mayor Tom Bradley won their support every time he ran. Most recently the bus drivers' strike and home care organizing drive brought together both communities.

It was significant that a number of prominent African Americans joined Villaraigosa on stage on election night, including noted scholar and Harvard professor Cornell West, popular South Los Angeles community leader Anthony Thigpenn and leader of Clergy and Laity Concerned, Rev. William Campbell. Rev. Jesse Jackson made phone messages calling on African Americans to vote for Villaraigosa. Younger African Americans supported Villaraigosa more than older ones.

However, mayor-elect James Hahn is the son of Kenneth Hahn, a well-respected former county supervisor who represented the predominantly Black area of South Los Angeles for many years. This was definitely a major factor. The father had a long history of supporting the African-American community and their fight for justice. Unfortunately, the son, by using these painfully racist messages, did not live up to his father's legacy.

The fact that some notable African-American leaders repeated the Hahn message that Villaraigosa "could not be trusted" or that Villaraigosa "would only represent one group and not the whole city" was hurtful to Black and Latino unity.

The silence by too many in the face of the racist ads hurt the unity process that has been growing in Los Angeles, both in united labor battles and electoral campaigns against the Republican extreme right. Latinos are disturbed by the election outcome. Many are angry. The winning of Mexican-American representation is an essential part of the fight for democracy and voting rights.

Despite the anger, the reality is that African Americans and Latinos must unite in order to make progress in both communities. Each could go their own way, but then he gains would only go so far. United with the labor movement and other people's struggles, they are unbeatable.

The new Los Angeles electoral labor/community coalition knows full well that to win it must unite multiracially and multinationally. Black, Brown and white unity is decisive in this effort. Miguel Contreras, secretary-treasurer of the L.A. County Federation of Labor, has shown through action his commitment to this. That direction is what is transforming the labor and people's movement here.

The new coalition is the future of Los Angeles. The potential of its power is indicated by the fact that Villaraigosa was only polling 5 percent when he started. When the coalition took up his people's agenda, Villaraigosa nearly reached the mountaintop.

That is why, in spite of the setback, this new coalition is fired up and getting ready for the 2002 battle to take back the Congress. As Villaraigosa's campaign theme song said, "Ain't no stopping us now, we're on the move."