Bass and her office have said she was in constant communication while she was out of the country. But it’s impossible to know exactly what she was communicating, because her messages were not saved, according to a city lawyer.

An attorney for Bass' office claims that public record laws do not apply to text messages, and that Bass' phone is set up to automatically delete her text messages.

The Times filed a public records request for text messages sent or received by the mayor while she was in transit on Jan. 7 or Jan. 8 that mentioned fire response or her travel plans. Attorney David Michaelson says there is “no requirement that a city official or employee save text messages.