The West Hollywood City Council selected a new Mayor and Mayor Pro Tempore on Aug. 16, electing Mayor Pro Tempore Lauren Meister as Mayor and Councilmember Sepi Shyne as Mayor Pro Tempore. The two will assume their new positions on Sept. 20 and serve extended terms through January 2023, after which point the positions will rotate on a January to January basis.
Like Beverly Hills, the city of West Hollywood appoints its mayor and mayor pro tempore (vice mayor, essentially) on a rotating basis. The position serves more of a bureaucratic than an executive function, unlike the city of Los Angeles.
Horvath, who is seeking to replace outgoing County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl on the Board of Supervisors, nominated Meister and Shyne for their new positions, marking the first time a woman has nominated two women for the mayoral succession in the city’s history.
Meister first joined the West Hollywood City Council in 2015 and is currently serving her second term. She previously served as mayor from April 2016 to May 2017. In her tenure as a council member, Meister has voiced support for maintaining the city’s affordable housing stock, preserving parks and green space, and improving mobility options around the city.
Iranian-born Councilmember Shyne joined the City Council in 2020. She believes that she is the first openly LGBTQ Iranian elected to office anywhere in the world. Her dual experiences as gay and an immigrant led her to earn a legal degree and pursue civil rights advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQ community.
