Sepi Shyne | |
---|---|
Mayor of West Hollywood | |
Assumed office January 9, 2023 | |
Preceded by | Lauren Meister |
Mayor pro Tempore of West Hollywood | |
In office August 16, 2021 – January 9, 2023 | |
Preceded by | Lauren Meister |
Succeeded by | John M. Erickson |
Member of the West Hollywood City Council | |
Assumed office December 7, 2020 | |
Preceded by | John Heilman |
Personal details | |
Born | Sepideh Ghafouri February 19, 1977 Mashhad, Iran |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
Ashlei Shyne
(m. 2014; sep. 2022) |
Alma mater | San Jose State University (BS) Golden Gate University School of Law (JD) |
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] She is currently a candidate for California's 30th congressional district in the 2024 election to succeed Adam Schiff.[4]
Shyne was born Sepideh Ghafouri on February 19, 1977 in Mashhad, Iran, with her family fleeing Iran in 1982 due to the Iranian Revolution.[5] 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.[6]
After graduating from law school, Shyne was elected to the Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom.[7] After moving to West Hollywood, she was elected to the LGBT Bar Association of Los Angeles, becoming its co-president in 2008.[8][9]
In 2018, Shyne was appointed to West Hollywood's Gay and Lesbian Advisory Board, where her colleges encouraged her to get into electoral politics.[10] 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.[11] She then ran in the next election in 2020, where she won the top seat in the election.[3][12] She was sworn in on December 7, 2020.[13]
On August 16, 2021, West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey Horvath elected 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.[14] She was sworn in on January 9, 2023.[15]
Main article: 2024 California's 30th congressional district election |
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.[6][4]
Shyne is a lesbian.[16] In 2014, Shyne married actress Ashlei Shyne and took her last name.[17]
Although she grew up as a Muslim, she no longer practices the faith, although she has described herself as "very spiritual."[10] 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.[18]