California: Heather Fargo

SACRAMENTO -- African-Americans locally have a reason for pride these days beyond the election of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama as the nation's next president.

They can look closer to home for that, by seeing Kevin Johnson's pending anointment as the city's first African-American mayor.

Leaders from that community and experts said Johnson and Obama's campaigns often seemed to mirror each other, particularly in making a theme of reaching out to people tired of politics as usual.

The community that elected Kevin Johnson as the next mayor of Sacramento - and the first who's an African-American - is invited to a "swearing-in" event next Tuesday.

Johnson and others will speak at the "Together We Can" event at Sacramento's historic Memorial Auditorium, which will also host live entertainment and nonprofit groups as part of the celebration.

Sacramento Mayor-elect Kevin Johnson has put together a transition leadership team of city council members and other connected political insiders to help manage his move into his new job later this month.

Johnson, the city's first African-American mayor, named prominent attorney Mark Harris and City Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy to his transition leadership team Monday, along with Amador Bustos, the owner of several Spanish-language radio stations, and Adam Mendelsohn, a public affairs consultant who previously worked with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and others.

SACRAMENTO -- As in the presidential race nationally, voters opted for change over experience Tuesday in voting for first-time candidate Kevin Johnson over two-term Mayor Heather Fargo.

Johnson led Fargo 57.1 percent to 42.3 percent with 97 percent of precincts counted early Wednesday, giving an acceptance speech at 11 p.m. before getting an official concession from Fargo.