How do most people say 'thank you?' Postcards? Flowers? Expensive gifts? Not Kevin Johnson.

Today, hours after winning the election for Mayor of Sacramento, he stood on the corner of 5th and I Street waving to fans and supporters to thank them for their votes. A chorus of "Thank you Sacramento, for electing Kevin Johnson as your mayor!" bellowed forth from a dozen supporters, giddy with the recent success. As John Parilo says, "This is the change we need...with [Johnson] as our spokesperson, it's going to bring a lot of exposure."

Luckily, for the Sacramento Press, four of its interns were right there to witness it.

"We came to this corner because it is a very busy intersection, we wanted to go to an intersection where the most amount of cars were going to go. So we just wanted to thank people for supporting and voting me for mayor. So we feel pretty good about that." Kevin Johnson told one of our interns, Pyerse Dandridge.

As dusk gathered over the overcast day, more people joined the supporters to hail their chant of "Change is in the air." Aziz Rehman said, "This is a very good step for the people of Sacramento." Rehman stated that Johnson is "young, energetic and bright."

Ron E. Yokley was very vocal with his megaphone. When asked why he came out this Wednesday evening, he replied, "I'm excited about the new leadership in Sacramento and I believe this man in my heart of hearts will be a better mayor for Sacramento moving in a positive direction. I've lived in Sacramento since 1972."

Even non-natives were in gear to support Kevin Johnson's election.

"Can you smell that change in the air, Sacramento?" Kenny James, wearing an Obama '08 shirt, holding a megaphone in one hand and a Kevin Johnson sign in his other, led the crowd in its jubilation. Although he is originally from Washington D.C., James wholeheartedly and unconditionally supports Kevin Johnson. "I know that the State of California is one of the most significant in the entire United States, Sacramento being its capital," he says. "It's important to have a strong capital, to have good partnership and a strong Sacramento."

Although James isn't quite native, he is still a Sacramentan, and supports what he thinks is the right policy. "I believe in good education, better schools, safe streets, and economic development for all - what [Johnson]'s trying to promote," says James. "He's a new style type of leader: strong, bold, innovative."

John Parilo, campaign field supporter for Kevin Johnson thinks that as mayor, Kevin Johnson will put Sacramento on the map:

"It's a little bit of a stagnant city right now. All my friends who went away to college have not come back. And I think with this change people will go away to college and be able to come back and make the city a better place after they graduate... because it's not really a young city right now. I think he can combine the family life with the younger life. With him on the map and with him as our spokesperson and our face of the city it's going to bring a lot of exposure like Magic Johnson, a lot of big names into Sacramento and make it a bigger and better place than it ever was before."

Amidst the honking horns and cheers, Kevin Johnson hugged and chatted with people who approached him, reached into cars who stopped and shook hands with drivers. He commented on his approach to this election:

"I think we had a grassroots effort and we wanted to take our campaign to the people - the everyday people - by being accessible, and making personal contact makes a big deal. If you want to win a local election you got to do it from the ground and I think we did a very good job of having a massive ground operation."

Johnson said he planned to remain accessible to the community. "We'll hold town hall meetings, I'll go to neighborhood associations, and build coalition liaisons with each of the constituents of Sacramento, so that's part of my commitment."

Another cause for celebration: the nation elected its first African-American president and Sacramento elected its first African-American mayor.

This story was written in collaboration by Catherine Foss, Colleen Belcher, Pyerse Dandridge, and Sarah Payne.