His Mix of Admirers Has All the Ingredients

Bureaucrats and Buddhist monks, braceros and big-name politicians prayed and partied Friday in a vivid reflection of Antonio Villaraigosa’s promise to be a mayor for all L.A.

Hundreds of well-wishers attended an 8 a.m. interfaith religious service for Villaraigosa and his family in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, then joined a joyful procession to the steps of City Hall, where the new mayor took his oath and encouraged Angelenos to strive for a “dazzling harmony.”

The 41st mayor spoke to an audience of rich and poor, powerful and powerless, and a virtual palette of ethnicities. Corporate lawyers rubbed shoulders with Mexican construction workers in cowboy hats. Anti-abortion protesters unfurled banners near Gabrielino-Tongvans on cellphones.

To supporters, the heterogenous crowd was early proof that Villaraigosa -- the first Latino mayor in Los Angeles in more than a century -- would live up to the promises of inclusion he made during his campaign.

“He seems to be committed to change and to bring us all together,” said Dorothy Arreola, 45. “It doesn’t matter what race.”

The diversity was partially scripted, with Villaraigosa’s team stage-managing the ecumenical church service in the morning and a multiethnic street fair in the afternoon.

But the day also showcased the breadth of the constituency that put Villaraigosa, a product of East Los Angeles, in office and that he must now govern.

Retired bus driver Mario Caceres came from his home near downtown to revel in the pride he felt for his new Mexican American mayor. Westsider Denny Schneider came to represent residents worried about airplane noise at LAX.

Activists carried signs touting an array of causes, from the wonders of solar power to the plight of elephants at the Los Angeles Zoo.

While some city workers hit the proceedings to score a free lunch, an array of national political figures -- including former Vice President Al Gore and the Rev. Jesse Jackson -- came to score a free moment in the spotlight with Villaraigosa, a Democratic rising star who overnight became the charismatic leader of an increasingly powerful Latino voting bloc.

The crowd of about 3,000 that gathered for the swearing-in did not quite fill City Hall’s South Lawn. The low turnout by everyday Angelenos may suggest that the new mayor will have to work to generate as much excitement among them as he has among national politicians and media.

Despite scattered protests, for the most part enthusiasm reigned among ardent supporters and hangers-on as the day progressed from solemn to celebratory.

The mayor promised to stress big ideas in his term, and the inaugural festivities had the trappings of a Big Event, a far cry from the modest swearing-in of his low-key predecessor, James K. Hahn.

Villaraigosa arrived in the cathedral with a theatrical flourish, marching down the aisle with his family at his side and a group of Gabrielino-Tongva Indians in front of him, their chants and shaking rattles echoing off the high, spare walls.

“We are here this morning in joy and celebration, to welcome a new custodian of the mayoral mantle of the City of Angels. We have joy in our hearts as a new day dawns,” said Sardarni Sahiba Simran Kaur Khalsa of Sikh Dharma, one of the many religious leaders who read from their sacred texts.

The religious leaders, garbed in ceremonial finery, encircled Villaraigosa and his wife, Corina, in a moment of silent prayer as a gospel singer sang a contemporary Irish tune.

Villaraigosa left the ceremony trailing the all-female Mariachi Divas, followed by a many-legged beast of journalists, politicians, friends and fans.

Mary Arreola, 53, marched alongside the procession with her sister and her 90-year-old mother, Eva Calderon Arreola, who was in a wheelchair.

The lifelong Mexican American residents of Boyle Heights said they voted for Villaraigosa because of his promise to provide more jobs and promote higher education for young people. “I think he has a lot of energy,” said Mary Arreola, a retired telephone company worker. “And I think he will hold on to his promises.”

A red-headed woman, who identified herself as a neighbor of the mayor, ran alongside the procession, calling out and waving to Villaraigosa.

As the stream of people bottlenecked at the entrances to the City Hall lawn, Velvia Copland, 58, an invited guest, waited to be admitted. “We met about four years ago at a prayer meeting,” she recalled. “I’m black, he’s brown. Being in the ghetto, being in the barrio, it’s all the same thing. This is an important day. Its about unification.”

At the swearing-in on City Hall’s south steps, Villaraigosa was joined by a host of political stars and -- rather inexplicably -- David Hasselhoff, the “Baywatch” star.

The event was a swirl of political subtext.

Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown administered the oath to City Controller Laura Chick and just moments later, City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo was sworn in. Brown and Delgadillo are both weighing runs to become the state’s next attorney general.

And New York City mayoral opponents Michael Bloomberg, the incumbent, and Fernando Ferrer, the former Bronx Borough president, transplanted their campaign to the West Coast in a bid to win over the Latino vote in their hometown.

After Villaraigosa’s inaugural address, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger struck a magnanimous tone. “I think it was terrific,” he said. “I think he covered it all. I think he spoke to not only people that have been born here, but people who have come here as immigrants, who have struggled.”

Somewhere down the block, Hollywood resident John Walsh, 61, stood in a tattered Terminator mask, telling anyone who would listen that he was Arnold’s “evil twin.”

He predicted that Schwarzenegger and Villaraigosa were destined to face off in the 2006 governor’s race.

The crowd reassembled on Main Street for a street fair. The lines for the free lunch were long, but celebrants were entertained by a Japanese drum troupe and a swinging Zimbabwean marimba band, which appeared to have no actual Zimbabweans in it.

After disappearing inside City Hall for a while, the mayor reappeared on a stage with the Susie Hansen Latin Band, which improvised a salsa tune with Villaraigosa’s melodic name as the chorus.

“I believe this is the city of America’s hope and promise, and that’s why I’m so excited today,” Villaraigosa said.

Then he gyrated his hips and sang his own name over and over again.

A crowd on the dance floor clapped along happily. The rest ate Thai salad and Greek tzatziki, sushi and refried beans.