Appropriately for Beverly Hills, Delshad was sworn in at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Wilshire Boulevard. The oath was administered by CNN talk-show host Larry King.
Delshad is a member of the Beverly Hills City Council, which rotates the largely ceremonial post of mayor among its members for one-year periods. Delshad was previously mayor in 2007-08.
Delshad became the first Iranian-American elected to the Beverly Hills City Council in 2003 and was re-elected in 2007. He will face the voters again next year.
He came to the United States long before the revolution and has lived in the Los Angeles area for 51 years, graduating from what is now California State University at Northridge in 1965. He established a computer storage technology firm in 1978, made a fortune and sold it in 1999.
Since then he has worked almost full time on community and philanthropic projects, including as president of his Jewish Temple and president of the Magbit Foundation, which raises funds for interest-free student loans.
After his swearing in last Tuesday, Delshad said of his world-famous community, “We’re a center for shopping, not a shopping center. But no matter how a resident or visitor comes into contact with us-through our businesses or city staff-I want us to focus on delivering outstanding service at each touchpoint so that people keep coming back to Beverly Hills.”
Beverly Hills is an independent city that is completely surrounded by Los Angeles.
