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by | Mar 16, 2018 | Hosta

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Sepideh Shyne (née Ghafouri; born February 19, 1977) is an Iranian-born American attorney, civil rights advocate, and member of the West Hollywood City Council who has been serving as West Hollywood's mayor since 2023.[1] Shyne is the first LGBTQ+ Iranian-American to be elected to office as well as the first woman of color elected to the West Hollywood City Council, with her election making the first female-majority council in the city's history.[2][3][4] She was an unsuccessful candidate to represent California's 30th congressional district in the 2024 election to succeed Adam Schiff who vacated the seat to run for the U.S. Senate.[5]

Early life and career

Shyne was born Sepideh Ghafouri on February 19, 1977, in Mashhad, Iran, with her family fleeing Iran in 1982 due to the Iranian Revolution.[6] They moved to Santa Clara Valley, California, where she attended De Anza College and later transferred to San Jose State University where she earned her Bachelor of Science.[2] She later got her Juris Doctor at Golden Gate University School of Law before moving to Los Angeles in 2006, relocating to West Hollywood afterwards.[3] In 2009, she founded the company Soulillume, which specializes in reiki.[7]

Political career

After graduating from law school, Shyne was elected to the Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom.[8] After moving to West Hollywood, she was elected to the LGBT Bar Association of Los Angeles, becoming its co-president in 2008.[9][10]

In 2018, Shyne was appointed to West Hollywood's Gay and Lesbian Advisory Board, where her colleges encouraged her to get into electoral politics.[11] That year, she announced that she would be running for West Hollywood City Council, but lost to incumbent John D’Amico by a small margin.[12] She then ran in the next election in 2020, where she won the top seat in the election.[3][13] She was sworn in on December 7, 2020.[14]

On August 16, 2021, West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey Horvath selected Shyne as the new Mayor pro Tempore, with the City Council unanimously voting in favor of her appointment.[2] On December 19, 2022, the City Council voted to appoint Shyne as the next Mayor, succeeding Lauren Meister.[15] She was sworn in on January 9, 2023.[16] In February 2023, Shyne announced that she would be running for California's 30th congressional district, an open seat vacated by incumbent Adam Schiff's run for Senate.[7][5] She lost the primary against Laura Friedman and Alex Balekian, conceding defeat on March 6, 2024.[17] In April 2024, Shyne announced that she would not be seeking re-election to the City Council.[18][19]

Personal life

Shyne is a lesbian.[20] In 2014, Shyne married actress Ashlei Shyne and took her last name.[21]

Although she grew up as a Muslim, she no longer practices the faith, although she has described herself as "very spiritual."[11] She has a pet dog, Chloe Shyne, who as part of West Hollywood's Pet Mayor program was sworn in as the first Pet Mayor of West Hollywood on April 1, 2023.[22]

References

  1. ^ Kenwalker, Ben (February 20, 2023). "Sepi Shyne's West Hollywood Revolution". Los Angeles magazine.
  2. ^ a b c "Lauren Meister and Sepi Shyne Were Elected New Mayor and Mayor Pro-Tempore of West Hollywood". WeHo Times. August 17, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Ring, Trudy (November 13, 2020). "Lesbian Iranian-American Makes History in One of U.S.'s Gayest Cities". The Advocate.
  4. ^ Branson-Potts, Hailey (November 4, 2022). "West Hollywood gay pioneers clash with younger progressives over future of city". Los Angeles Times.
  5. ^ a b "Shyne sets sights on Schiff's seat". Park La Brea News. February 22, 2023.
  6. ^ Shafer, Scott (April 30, 2020). "Coronavirus Pandemic Forcing Candidates, Campaigns to Pivot". KQED.
  7. ^ a b Haddad, Simha (February 21, 2023). "Out West Hollywood Mayor Sepi Shyne will run to replace Schiff". Los Angeles Blade.
  8. ^ "Meet Sepi Shyne". Voyage LA. October 14, 2019.
  9. ^ Gerami, Vic (September 21, 2021). "WeHo Mayor Pro Tempore Breaks Ceilings and Blazes Trails for a New Generation of Progressive, Women, People of Color, and LGBTQ+ Leaders". The Blunt Post.
  10. ^ McDonald, John (April 21, 2023). "West Hollywood Mayor Has Dreams of Congress". South Florida Gay News.
  11. ^ a b Ring, Trudy (February 18, 2021). "Sepi Shyne Paves a Way as the 1st Queer Iranian Elected Official". The Advocate.
  12. ^ Parvaneh, Fred (April 24, 2019). "Sepi Shyne, West Hollywood Mayoral Candidate, to Run Again in 2020". KayhanLife.
  13. ^ Branson-Potts, Hailey (November 10, 2020). "In West Hollywood, two longtime council members, John Duran and John Heilman, lose bids for reelection". Los Angeles Times.
  14. ^ Levesque, Brody (December 8, 2021). "Year one complete; WeHo's newest councilmembers just getting started". Los Angeles Blade.
  15. ^ "WeHo City to Swear-In Sepi Shyne as Mayor and John M. Erickson as Mayor Pro Tempore". WeHo Times. January 2, 2023.
  16. ^ Murilo, Paulo (January 19, 2023). "Shyne, Erickson sworn in as WeHo mayor, mayor pro tempore". Los Angeles Blade. Vol. 7, no. 3. p. 2.
  17. ^ Murillo, Paulo (March 6, 2024). "'With Gratitude and Hope…' – Sepi Shyne Concedes Loss in Run for Congress". WEHO Times.
  18. ^ Murillo, Paulo (April 13, 2024). "BREAKING! Former West Hollywood Mayor Sepi Shyne Announces She Will Not Be Running for Re-Election". WEHO Times.
  19. ^ "Shyne chooses not to run for reelection". Park Labrea News & Beverly Press. April 17, 2024.
  20. ^ Shyne, Sepi (June 16, 2020). "Sepi Shyne, Iranian-American lesbian, explains what Pride means to her". Q Voice News.
  21. ^ Shyne, Ashlei (November 12, 2020). "Our Time to Shyne: WeHo's First Woman of Color Councilwoman, Sepi Shyne, as Interviewed by Her Wife". Autostraddle.
  22. ^ "Chloe Shyne to be Sworn in as First Pet Mayor of West Hollywood". WeHo Times. March 25, 2023.
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