What started as a simple home improvement project for one California woman spiraled into a months-long standoff with her homeowners’ association.
All Jinah Kim wanted was to remove a makeshift barrier in her own home — but instead, she found herself threatened with thousands of dollars in fines.
A Personal Renovation Turns Into a Violation
Jinah Kim, a 53-year-old resident of Oak Park in Ventura County, decided to tackle a frustrating inconvenience in her condo at the Shadow Ridge complex.
Inside her townhouse, the previous owners had sealed off the top of a doorway with drywall, creating an awkward block she had to duck under every day between her office and dining area.
To make her home more livable, she hired a contractor to remove the drywall.
The entire job took about an hour. What she didn’t expect? That her quiet renovation would catch the attention of the HOA’s manager — who happened to glance into her open garage and noticed the work being done.
HOA Slaps Kim With Fine Over Plumbing Concerns
Soon after, Kim was hit with a violation notice accusing her of rerouting shared plumbing — even though she insists it was a simple fix within her private space.
She was immediately fined $100 and told she had to restore the door to its original (and impractical) state.
If she refused, she was warned, a $500 fine would be issued every day until she complied.
Kim was stunned. “It’s a door within my home that no one else sees and no one else is affected by,” she told the Los Angeles Times.
“It felt like accidentally tapping someone in the hallway and getting the death penalty.”
The Fine Threat Was Real, But the Law Changed Just in Time
Her anxiety over mounting daily fines only grew — until a stroke of luck arrived on July 1.
That’s when California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 130 into law.
Among other reforms, the new law placed a $100 cap on HOA fines unless there’s a health or safety concern involved.
For Kim, it meant she was protected from the possibility of paying up to $3,500 per week just for keeping her renovated doorway.
“It was a big relief,” she said.
“Having a daily $500 fine hanging over my head was a huge source of anxiety.”
A Flood of Violations Followed the Door Dispute
But the doorway wasn’t the only issue the HOA raised.
After spotting the renovation, the general manager flagged several other infractions: an EV charger in her garage, her dog being briefly off-leash, and even an unapproved rug on her balcony.
Kim quickly resolved those — but the door? That one, she refused to budge on.
She didn’t want to reverse what she saw as a much-needed improvement in her own living space.
HOA Law Tightens Its Grip on Associations
AB 130, while primarily meant to streamline housing development by easing environmental restrictions, also introduced big changes to California’s Davis-Stirling Act, which governs HOA operations.
The reforms don’t just cap fines. HOAs can no longer add interest or late fees, and if homeowners correct a violation before a hearing, they’re shielded from penalties altogether.
Legal Experts React to the Power Shift
Not surprisingly, the changes have sparked debate.
HOA attorney Dyanne Peters argued the new rules undermine an HOA’s authority.
“It’s frustrating,” she said. “It takes away the ability for HOAs to govern their own communities.”
On the flip side, Luke Carlson, who represents homeowners in disputes with HOAs, welcomed the law as a long-overdue fix. “
AB 130 is more than a law,” he said. “It’s a signal that Sacramento is finally starting to hear the voices of homeowners who’ve suffered in silence for too long.”
One Woman’s Door Is Now a Symbol of Reform
In the end, Kim’s quiet rebellion became part of a much louder statewide conversation.
What began with a drywall-covered doorway led to a wider spotlight on what many see as the overreach of HOA enforcement.
And thanks to California’s new protections, homeowners like Kim can breathe a little easier — and walk through their doorways without fear of daily punishment.