April 03 2025
Dr. Sharona Nazarian was sworn in as mayor of Beverly Hills, California, April 1, becoming the first Iranian-American woman and the second Iranian-American to hold the position.
“My journey to this moment has been a long one,” Nazarian, a practicing psychologist, said in her speech. “I am an immigrant. English is my third language. I came to this great nation due to religious persecution. No one was there to be my voice, and things didn’t always come easily.”
Beverly Hills is known for its large population of Iranian Jews, of which Nazarian is a member. Around one-quarter of the Los Angeles suburb’s 33,000 residents are thought to be Jews of Iranian descent.
The city of Beverly Hills is entirely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles. Beverly hills elects five members of a city council to four-year terms. The council members then select a mayor from among them to serve a one-year term.
When Beverly Hills was founded in 1906 it barred Jews and non-whites from living in the community.
The first Iranian American mayor of Beverly Hills, Jimmy Delshad, served in 2007 and 2010.
Mayor Nazarian, 55, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Southern California (USC). She holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Multicultural Psychology from Alliant University. She lives in Beverly Hills with her husband, Daniel, and their three sons.
