PULSE POINTS:

What Happened: The Los Angeles Times filed a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles, alleging officials unlawfully withheld and deleted Mayor Karen Bass’s text messages and other public records related to January’s fires.

Who’s Involved: The lawsuit involves the Los Angeles Times, city officials, Mayor Karen Bass, and outside counsel for The Times, Kelly Aviles.

Where & When: The legal action was taken in Los Angeles on Thursday. The events in question relate to the fires that began on January 7.

Key Quote: Kelly Aviles stated, “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.”

Impact: The lawsuit raises concerns about the transparency and accountability of public officials in regard to the handling of public records and the potential dangers of setting a precedent for the destruction of such documents.

IN FULL:

The Los Angeles Times has initiated legal proceedings against the city of Los Angeles, accusing it of illegally withholding and destroying public records, including text messages from Mayor Karen Bass. This action, taken on Thursday, stems from the destructive fires that occurred starting January 7 and aims to challenge the city’s position on public records law.

In the wake of these fires, the Times sought communication between the mayor and other officials but encountered resistance from the city, which argued they were not obliged to comply with state public records laws. The Times contends this sets a risky precedent, suggesting it could lead officials to delete records at will.

“It’s bigger than these text messages,” the Los Angeles Times‘s outside counsel, Kelly Aviles, said when filing the legal action. She continued: “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 issue of communication retention became a focal point after it was revealed that Mayor Bass’s messages were set to auto-delete after 30 days, a period much shorter than the prescribed two-year retention period stipulated by city rules. Although some messages were eventually retrieved and shared with the Times, others remain undisclosed or redacted, with city officials citing legal exemptions.

David Michaelson from the mayor’s office stated that their actions are consistent with past responses to public record requests and maintained that certain texts are beyond the reach of the California Public Records Act. He cited past legal precedent to argue that some communications are ‘ephemeral’ and not subject to public access laws.

The post The L.A. Times Is Suing the L.A. Mayor. Here’s Why… appeared first on The National Pulse.