Property manager asks La Puente to pause enforcement of screen-door removal notice

Mitchell Fajas, a property manager who said he manages 25 rental units in La Puente, asked the council for help after receiving a notice instructing him to remove security screen doors from rental properties.

"Recently, we were hit with a notice from a man named Jonathan Castaneda," Fajas told the council, saying the city is now asking landlords to remove security screen doors that he and his tenants rely on for safety and cooling in hot weather. He said more than 25 screen doors were affected and described tenants who include elderly residents and a child with autism.

Fajas said he and his employer visited City Hall and spoke with staff (he named a staffer, Mika), and he asked the council for an extension or guidance so tenants would not suddenly lose needed security features. He asked that the matter be taken up with the mayor and staff to find a solution.

The presiding official replied that staff would be contacted and recalled a planning commission change from about 15 years ago that targeted commercial storefront roll-up or accordion doors for aesthetic reasons; the mayor said he did not believe residential doors were the original target and said he would "talk to staff" to follow up.

No formal motion or vote was taken on the enforcement question; the mayor directed staff to look into the history and applicability of the rule and to report back. Fajas said he would inform his tenants that the council had been made aware and that staff would attempt to resolve the issue.

The transcript records the name of the person who issued the notice as Jonathan Castaneda; the council did not, during the meeting, cite the specific municipal code section requiring removal, so the legal basis for the notice was not specified.