The Los Angeles Times has filed a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles, alleging that officials unlawfully deleted and withheld text messages from Mayor Karen Bass during the response to January’s devastating wildfires. The legal action, filed on March 27, challenges the city’s assertion that such messages are “ephemeral” and not subject to public records laws, The Los Angeles Times reported.
The controversy stems from the city’s decision to auto-delete the mayor’s texts after just 30 days, despite a city administrative code requiring a two-year retention period for official communications. The lawsuit argues that allowing officials to determine which records to keep and which to discard sets a dangerous precedent, undermining transparency and public accountability, The Wrap reported.
“This is bigger than just these text messages,” said Kelly Aviles, outside counsel for The Times. “The city seems to believe they can destroy whatever they want whenever they want, and that they don’t have a duty to the public to retain public records.”
The lawsuit also names Times reporters Julia Wick and Matt Hamilton as plaintiffs, in their capacity as Los Angeles residents. The case gained traction after initial requests for the mayor’s messages were met with claims that they had been deleted. After months of requests, the mayor’s office ultimately provided 125 recovered messages last week but admitted that an undisclosed number had been “redacted and/or withheld” under certain exemptions.
Mayor Bass was out of the country in Ghana on Jan. 7, when the fires ignited across Los Angeles. Critics argue that her absence calls into question her leadership during the crisis.
The case has sparked backlash, with Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong criticizing Bass’ leadership during the emergency. He has since expressed regret over the newspaper’s 2022 endorsement of her candidacy, stating her handling of the crisis raises “serious questions.”
