A homeowner in Palm Springs says his HOA has spent over a year going after him over his entry gate’s color. Jordan Smith, who lives in the gated Escena community, calls their actions effort selective enforcement and harassment, KESQ reported. The association doesn’t agree and is in fact disputing the account.
Smith says the trouble started nearly as soon as he moved in last March, when a neighbor who serves as the HOA board president came to his home. Soon after, he says, came a run of complaints, noise reports, and violation notices. One of them targeted the gate itself, which is mostly glass.
Smith points out that several homes in the neighborhood have gates and doors in nearly every color, while his is the one being enforced. He sees it as an inconsistency when it comes to enforcing rules. “This is a personal vendetta,” he lamented.
Still, the disputes have been taking their toll on his mental health. He doesn’t relish coming home after long days to emails from the HOA’s attorneys that seem like threats. The response has been heavy-handed in his estimation for the color of a gate, something most people would likely agree with.
What the Association Says
The association sees it much differently. In a letter dated Nov. 19, 2025, its attorney, Laurie Poole, said an investigation into Smith’s complaints against the board had found too little evidence to support his claims of harassment and discrimination. The letter added that the association had the right to check his gate, front door, and lighting against its design guidelines. As a result, it considers the matter closed.
News Channel 3 reported that the association is seemingly steering the neighborhood toward more muted, desert-tone colors. The HOA said it’s already reached out to Smith directly and is willing to meet to discuss a resolution. It’s unclear whether that offer will go anywhere, given how far apart the two sides remain.
California’s Davis-Stirling Act lets homeowners’ associations set color and design standards. It also requires them to enforce those standards consistently. That requirement is the crux of Smith’s complaint. Smith is finally finished trying to resolve the dispute quietly. He’s ready to take the association to court. It seems the dispute has no real end in sight just yet.