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.”
The “absolutely not woke” Democrat won over hardcore conservatives in an area fighting homelessness and serious public safety perception issues in the past few years.
As she took office, the no-nonsense pol announced she was requesting that the DA prosecute misdemeanors, and warned, “If you’re even thinking about committing a crime in Beverly Hills, you’d better think twice.”
The proactive step, she said, will ensure that the iconic city “never be the target of unwarranted attacks again.” A few years back, some cases involving the targeting of high-end retailers and armed robberies outside of restaurants went unprosecuted.
The mayor, who previously served on various local commissions and the city council, is as comfortable with cops as she is with celebrities in the famed 5.7-square mile town, which has a median income of $127,979 and a median home price of $2 million.
Last month, the moderate Dem was at the posh Vanity Fair Oscars after party, where she stunned in a silver sequined dress and Israeli hostage necklace, and took a selfie with Mick Jagger.
Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Isabella Rossalini, Roger Federer, and foreign consul generals is harder work than it sounds, but Nazarian hinted to The Post, “A lot of them I don’t take pictures with.”
Beverly Hills reality-TV plastic surgeon and vocal Trump surrogate, Dr. Sheila Nazarian – who is not related to the mayor – gushed about the “smart and pragmatic” pol.
She’s “more action than talk, which sets her apart from typical California politicians,” Nazarian said.
“I’m a centrist, but I am tough on crime,” said the new mayor.
She chalked up her wide range of supporters across the political spectrum to her humble roots: “I’m not a politician – I’m a psychologist who felt that we needed to improve things.”
The married mother of three grown sons, added, “And instead of complaining, I decided to throw my hat in the ring and get involved.”
While she won’t publicly share her feelings on the widely savaged LA mayor Karen Bass, who was abroad when her city started to burn, and lefty Gov. Gavin Newsom, Nazarian said tactfully, “There’s always areas and room for improvement at the state and local levels.”
The mayor said she’s “absolutely delighted” with the installation of new LA District Attorney Nathan Hochman, who replaced Soros-backed soft-on-crime progressive George Gascon in December.
A longtime Beverly Hills bodyguard told The Post that Nazarian is the “right person for the job because she doesn’t give a s–t what anyone else says.” She “has a big enough set of balls that if she feels it’s the right thing to do, no one can talk her out of it – or intimidate her,” he added.
