Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ text messages from the time of the destructive Palisades Fire were not saved, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.
The Times requested all text messages sent and received by the mayor on January 7 and 8, specifically those related to fire response and her travel plans. The request was part of an ongoing investigation into the city’s handling of the fire, which burned for nearly a month and caused significant damage.
David Michaelson, legal counsel for the mayor, responded to the records request, stating that Bass’ phone was set not to save text messages. He further claimed that there was “no requirement that a city official or employee” preserve their text messages. However, the Times noted that the city’s document retention policies require records to be kept for at least two years. Michaelson argued that text messages were not subject to those retention rules.
Most smartphones do not have a setting that prevents text messages from being saved indefinitely. Both iPhone and Android devices allow users to manually delete messages or set messages to auto-delete after a certain period, usually a minimum of 30 days. The Times stated that it submitted its request within three days of the fires beginning. Michaelson did not respond to a separate inquiry from The Daily Wire.
Bass was in Ghana when the fires started, despite having previously stated she would not travel internationally in her capacity as mayor. She returned to Los Angeles the following day, with full access to her phone throughout the trip.
It took mere hours for the ineptitude of Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass to render the Pacific Palisades a scorched wasteland. To rebuild will be a gargantuan task. The first necessary step must be to recall these two worthless political hacks. #RecallGavinNewsom #RecallKarenBass pic.twitter.com/V2XxpnOmd2
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) January 10, 2025
It took two months for Bass’ office to respond to the Times’ request, ultimately stating that there were “no responsive records” available.
The mayor faced criticism for reducing the fire department’s budget by nearly $18 million, lowering its overall funding from $837 million. Critics argued that the budget cut left Los Angeles less prepared to fight the fires, which consumed approximately 60,000 acres, killed at least 29 people, and destroyed more than 16,000 structures. The total property damage from the fires is estimated in the billions of dollars.
Barack Obama to Karen Bass: “I’m confident you’re gonna be an outstanding mayor of LA.”
LA under Karen Bass:
-Defunded fire dept
-Empty reservoirs
-Stolen hydrants
-Canceled hydrant testing
-Funded transgender cafes
-Visits Ghana while city is burningDid I miss anything? pic.twitter.com/tw4Sra7Dhl
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 10, 2025
At the time, President-elect Donald Trump publicly criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom, claiming that the state’s water management policies had contributed to the fire crisis. Trump stated that fire hydrants ran dry while crews were attempting to contain the flames. He attributed the issue to Newsom’s refusal to approve a water restoration declaration that would have directed excess rain and snowmelt from northern California to other parts of the state.
“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way,” Trump posted on social media.
Some experts in urban water supply dismissed Trump’s claims, stating that water availability was not a factor in the firefighting response. However, questions remain about California’s water policies and their impact on wildfire prevention and management.
As investigations into the Palisades Fire continue, scrutiny over the mayor’s deleted text messages and the city’s overall response is expected to persist.
