Jamshid (Jimmy) Delshad
Jamshid (Jimmy) Delshad, born in Shiraz, Iran, is an Iranian-American politician in the state of California. He became Mayor of Beverly Hills on March 21, 2007 and again on March 16, 2010. He is the first Iranian-American to hold public office in Beverly Hills.
Delshad left Shiraz, Iran in 1959 and came to the United States with his brothers. He studied at the University of Minnesota and received his bachelor's degree from California State University, Northridge. Following this accomplishment, Delshad attended post-graduate classes at USC and also participated in the continuing education program of "The Executive Committee," a round table of CEOs, for 7 years. He embarked on a career in Computer Technology in 1965 and was fortunate enough to start his own business in 1978 in the then-new field of "Computer Storage Technology."
He started a technology company in 1978. As an expert speaker on "storage technology", his company's products were marketed and sold throughout the world. However, when he was elected President of Sinai Temple in 1999, Delshad chose to sell his company in order to fully devote his attention to the needs of the community and other non-profit organizations. Yet, he was not content; he felt a personal obligation to do more for the country that had given him the opportunity to live out the American dream. As a result, Jimmy Delshad ran for City Council in 2003 and successfully took office as a Councilmember.
Though he is a native Iranian, Delshad considers America his home and safe haven, persistently expressing gratitude to his country for truly being the land of opportunity. After first winning election to the City Council in 2003, Delshad wrote "I did not seek to serve on the City Council out of a sense of national or ethnic pride. Instead, I felt I owed a debt to this City and this country that welcomed me and allowed me to use my talents to build a successful life." On March 27, 2007, the Mayor took office and announced his main ambition of making Beverly Hills “safest and smartest” community in America.
Mayor Delshad has resided in the Los Angeles area for 48 years and has lived in the City of Beverly Hills for the past 18 years. He has been married for 38 years to Lonnie Gerstein Delshad. They are blessed with two children: Debra, a graduate of USC and Loyola Law School and Daniel, a computer businessman and graduate of USC.
Jamshid (Jimmi) Delshad was president and chairman of Magbit Foundation that is the highly respected foundation raises funds and distributes interest-free loans to worthy college students in need. The repaid loans and new funds are re-distributed to other students.