Villaraigosa takes oath for second term, blunt, sober and seeking a 'second wind'

The mayor also vowed to end the Department of Water and Power's reliance on coal-fired power plants and instead secure 40% of its power from renewable resources by 2020 -- up from his previous goal of 35%. In his speech, Villaraigosa warned that the push for more renewable energy would require an "investment" from DWP ratepayers -- a veiled reference to the likelihood of higher electricity rates.

Former state Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg, who ran against Villaraigosa in the 2005 mayoral election, said he supports the mayor's push to wean the DWP off coal but warned that other forms of energy cost more. "The big challenge in renewable energy is, how do you make the transition but still keep" rates affordable? said Hertzberg, who attended the ceremony.

Villaraigosa also voiced frustration with the pace of improvement at the Los Angeles Unified School District, where six of seven school board members have received his political support. He said he would work with the board to shut down failing schools and reconstitute them as charter schools -- or place them under the control of his Partnership for Los Angeles Schools.

"We can no longer afford to accept the same old tired excuses for failure," he said.

The head of the local teachers union called the mayor's comments "public relations," saying teachers gave a vote of no confidence at eight of the 10 schools that the mayor gained control of through an agreement with the school board.

"I believe we need to fix public education, not continue to put money in charters when all the available data shows that charters do not educate students any better than public schools," said A.J. Duffy, president of United Teachers Los Angeles.

Inevitably, Wednesday's ceremony failed to recapture the exuberance and liberal panache that crackled during Villaraigosa's first inauguration, when Al Gore, Jesse Jackson and four of California's last five governors -- and even "Baywatch" star David Hasselhoff -- attended with other celebrities and national and international dignitaries.

By dethroning James K. Hahn, a sitting mayor and a member of one of L.A.'s most venerable political families, Villaraigosa in 2005 became the face of modern-day Los Angeles, the son of a single, working mother who made the unprecedented trek from L.A.'s Eastside to the mayor's office at City Hall. His election as the city's first Latino mayor in 133 years was hailed as a coming-of-age for Latino political power in America.