L.A. Times Sues City of Los Angeles Over Deleted Mayoral Texts

The lawsuit challenges the deletion of Mayor Karen Bass' text messages during the January wildfires, alleging violations of California public records laws.

• The Los Angeles Times has filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging the unlawful deletion and withholding of Mayor Karen Bass' text messages and other public records related to the January 2025 Palisades wildfire.
• Mayor Bass' phone settings were configured to auto-delete messages after 30 days, which is shorter than the two-year retention period required by the city's administrative code.
• The mayor's office initially claimed the text messages did not exist but later recovered and released 125 messages, some of which were redacted or withheld.
• The lawsuit argues that treating text messages as 'ephemeral' undermines transparency and accountability, while the mayor's office defends its actions as compliant with legal exemptions.
• The case raises broader questions about the application of public records laws to digital communications and could set significant precedent for government transparency in the digital age.

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