Candidates make last stops as L.A. picks new mayor

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Los Angeles mayoral hopefuls James Hahn and Antonio Villaraigosa made last-minute campaign stops Tuesday as voters began casting ballots for the city's next leader.

Villaraigosa, the former speaker of the state Assembly, wants to become Los Angeles' first Latino mayor in 130 years, while Hahn hopes to rise to the city's top job after serving as city attorney. Both are Democrats running in a non-partisan race.

The polls close at 8 p.m. (11 p.m. EDT)

"It's going to be a very close election," Villaraigosa said as he cast his ballot Tuesday. "You won't hear me talk about how we have it in the bag. I think turnout is going to be the key, and I expect turnout is going to be great."

VIDEO CNN's Thelma Gutierrez says the race comes down to an Anglo attorney and a Hispanic state assemblyman (June 4) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

Term limits are pushing two-term Republican Mayor Richard Riordan out of office, and the conservative voters that put him in office may tip the scales in an unprecedented race between two liberal Democrats. Strong turnout among the city's Hispanic voters also could erase a narrow lead by Hahn in recent polls. "No lead that Mr. Hahn has is safe if there's a great mobilization," political analyst Raphael Sonenshein said.

Villaraigosa calls himself a coalition builder, with a proven track record of bringing Republicans and Democrats together in the Assembly. Hahn touts 20 years working in City Hall and promises to improve public safety.

Both men have spent a combined $13 million and two years campaigning for the office, and both have exchanged pointed charges and countercharges at one another.

In a television ad, Hahn criticized Villaraigosa for backing a White House pardon about five years ago for Carlos Vignali, a convicted drug dealer and son of a financial backer. Villaraigosa countered by accusing Hahn of smearing him and waging a "campaign of fear" in contrast to his "campaign of hope."

"I think the people I met in the course of this campaign realize that those commercials frankly are not reflective of who I am, who I've been and how I'll serve the city of Los Angeles," Villaraigosa said.

Villaraigosa, 48, served six years in the Assembly, the last two years as speaker. He is a onetime high school drop-out who worked as a teachers' union organizer and president of the local chapter of the ACLU.

Hahn, 50, became city attorney in 1985 after a term as city controller. He is the son of the late County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, who served 10 terms in office, and he has the backing of the African-American community in South Central Los Angeles.

After voting Tuesday, Hahn said he had no problem with raising questions about Villaraigosa's judgment. He called his campaign "accurate and not misleading."

"I think it was an exercise in poor judgment, and you know, you're looking for judgment in leaders, and I think that was fair," he said.

Tuesday's election is the city's most fiercely contested mayoral race in decades and came at a time of rapid change in Los Angeles, with its burgeoning Hispanic population.

The nation's second-largest city, Los Angeles lost 15 percent of its black population during the past decade while its Hispanic population rose 24 percent. With nearly 4 million residents, Los Angeles is now 11.2 percent black and 46.5 percent Hispanic.

Los Angeles voters also were choosing five City Council members and a successor to Rep. Julian Dixon, who died of an apparent heart attack last December.