Charming the Angels

L.A. elects Antonio Villaraigosa as its first Latino mayor in 133 years. But can he fix the traffic?

The fire alarm has gone off inĀ councilman Antonio Villaraigosa's office in city hall, and the emergency strobe light is flashing, but he isn't budging. Two days after winning the Los Angeles mayoral election, Villaraigosa has business to do. It is 6 p.m., and he has been up since 3 a.m. In the past two hours alone, his assistant tells him, he has received 47 phone messages. A secretary calls security to find out if the building needs to be evacuated. But Villaraigosa, 52, once described by a fellow Democrat as having as much energy as "a hummingbird in flight," is busy...

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