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Sepi Shyne

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Sepi Shyne
Mayor of West Hollywood
In office
January 9, 2023 – January 16, 2024
Preceded byLauren Meister
Succeeded byJohn M. Erickson
Mayor pro Tempore of West Hollywood
In office
August 16, 2021 – January 9, 2023
Preceded byLauren Meister
Succeeded byJohn M. Erickson
Member of the West Hollywood City Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 7, 2020
Preceded byJohn Heilman
Personal details
Born
Sepideh Ghafouri

(1977-02-19) February 19, 1977 (age 47)
Mashhad, Iran
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Ashlei Shyne
​
​
(m. 2014; sep. 2022)​
Alma materSan 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][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

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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

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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

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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

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  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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