Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is still reeling from the massive wildfires that engulfed the county in January. It’s likely going to be labeled the costliest natural disaster in American history, with damage estimates ranging from $164-250-plus billion. Ms. Bass was not in Los Angeles when the fires broke out on January 7. She wasn’t even in the United States. The mayor was partying in Ghana, celebrating the president’s inauguration, which hardly seems appropriate, especially since this trip was taxpayer-funded. Bass promised she’d never leave the country during her time in the mayor’s office.
She claims to have been in contact with those on the ground as she traveled back to Los Angeles, but a record of that was initially missing. Text messages were reported to have been deleted, with aides saying Bass’ phone was not set to save text messages. That narrative—that she was hands-on with those on the ground—seemed to have imploded. It also sparked further controversy about whether the mayor violated public records laws. For a bit, the mayor’s office cited city statutes on the retention of communications, seemingly suggesting they have the right to label what’s public. That’s not how this works, especially when state law on these matters supersedes municipal ones.
Karen Bass’ text messages during the initial wildfire response that were “destroyed then somehow recovered” have finally been released. pic.twitter.com/Tqg6OPCDjg
— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) March 28, 2025
Well, those destroyed communications have risen like a phoenix rising from the ashes (via NBC LA):
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass exchanged text messages during the early hours of the Palisades Fire that showed she struggled to communicate with her staff as she returned from a trip to Ghana.
The messages, released by the Mayor's office in response to a California Public Records Act request, help to illustrate how she managed the city’s fire response remotely, while she was on board several flights after attending the inauguration of Ghana’s new president as part of a U.S. delegation.
On Jan. 7 at 11:20 p.m., the mayor texted her team after failing to connect on a conference call with the general managers of city departments. The Palisades Fire had started hours earlier at around 10:30 a.m. and was fanned by strong Santa Ana wind gusts to eventually become the third most destructive wildfire on record in California
“I’m listening. Don’t know why you can’t hear me,” Bass messaged.
In response, one of her staffers said they could not hear her on their end.
[…]
On Jan. 8, the mayor asked LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho about damage to schools as she was still in transit, and learned from Carvalho that it appeared two Palisades schools had been lost.
“OMG yes let’s connect when i’m back in town. Arriving soon. So sorry to hear,” Bass responded.
Also on Jan. 8, Bass was receiving messages from federal officials, including then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and staffers from the Biden Administration, who offered assistance.
Criticism mounted over Bass' decision to travel to Africa on the days intense winds were forecast, and after arriving in LA she said, "although I was not physically here, I was in contact with many of the individuals that are standing here throughout the entire time. I was on the phone, on the plane, almost every hour of the flight."
The text exchanges were first reported by the LA Times, which was initially told the messages had been destroyed then somehow recovered.
It still doesn’t negate the shambolic response to this blaze, which likely torched Bass’ career in public life. She did apologize for the trip to Ghana, calling it a mistake as it didn’t relate to city business. Your honor, we knew that already.
You’re in the clear, apparently, on a public records mystery. You still are the face of the incompetence that followed, however.
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