Meet the new elected Beverly Hills Mayor

The American dream is alive and well on Rodeo Drive. The new mayor of Beverly Hills is an Iranian Jewish refugee who’s as glam as the city she represents. Sharona Nazarian, 51, who fled “religious persecution” after the fall of the Shah in 1979, “could have never imagined” her current calling as a little girl.

During her swearing in on April 1, she shared a bit about the trials of being a young emigre to the US, where she was called a “terrorist” because of her Iranian roots. “No one was there to be my voice and things didn’t always come easily,” she said in an impassioned speech in stilettos and Jackie-O inspired dress. “But I refused to have a victim mentality.”

April 13, 2025 | 4:55 am