LA Mayor Karen Bass accused of deleting texts in wake of wildfire disaster

Bass was on a trip to Africa for the swearing-in of Ghana's president when the Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7. The mayor did not get back into the city until Jan. 8.

"Her phone is set not to save text messages," city lawyer David Michaelson told the newspaper, adding that Bass' phone has auto-deleted text messages for at least two years.

The paper said it had filed a public records request on Jan. 10 for all text messages that the mayor sent and received while she traveled on Jan. 7 and 8 regarding fire response or her travel plans.

Bass' office told the outlet on Thursday that it had "no responsive records" to fulfill the request. The paper noted that Bass' office did not provide a reason why or say whether it was withholding any records.

The California Public Records Act has no specific rules for document retention, according to the newspaper, though it does say that when an agency denies a request, it must state why.

Neither Bass' office nor Michaelson immediately responded to Fox News' Digital request for comment.

"Absolutely it is, and I think that I have to demonstrate that every day by showing what we're doing, what is working, what are the challenges," Bass told NBC Los Angeles when asked if she's trying to "regain confidence."

Fox News Digital's Cameron Arcand contributed to this report.