Written and reviewed by Josh Kohanim, Esq., California Bar No. 328609 · Reviewed
Local differences in Pasadena
This page covers the rule California juries apply, the Pasadena police and city records that can show what an owner knew, Measure H and where a case is filed. Local facts, statutes and cases were checked on November 11, 2026. It is general information, not advice about any one case.
Negligent security in California
Negligent security is part of premises liability, the law of injuries caused by the way property is run. California's jury instruction on crime on property, CACI No. 1005 (2026 edition), says that a landlord or the owner of a business open to the public "must use reasonable care to protect" tenants, guests or patrons "from another person's criminal conduct on" the property "if the [owner/landlord] can reasonably anticipate that conduct." Whether that duty exists is decided by the judge; whether the steps the owner took were "adequate and reasonable under the circumstances" is decided by the jury. Our negligent security lawyer page explains the rule in every setting.
Settings and local rules
The rule in CACI No. 1005 is the same for an apartment, a hotel or a store in Pasadena, but the proof differs by setting. The table pairs each setting with a leading California case and a Pasadena rule or record. Each Pasadena rule is a source of records about the property, not a separate claim.
| Setting | Key California case | Pasadena rule or record |
|---|---|---|
| Apartments and condos | Vasquez v. Residential Investments, Inc. (2004) | Code Compliance complaints made through the City Service Center |
| Attack by another tenant | Castaneda v. Olsher (2007) | Measure H termination notices, which landlords file with the Rent Stabilization Department |
| Hotels and motels | O'Hara v. Western Seven Trees Corp. (1977) | Call for service logs, which the Pasadena Police Department lists among common records requests |
| Bars, stores and parking lots | Delgado v. Trax Bar & Grill (2005) | Crime reports from the Pasadena Police Department Records Section |
Pasadena police reports
In Pasadena, a copy of a police report costs $10 as of November 11, 2026. You can request it in person at the Pasadena Police Department's Records Section, or by mail with a check or money order payable to the City of Pasadena, stating how you are connected to the case and the type, date and place of the incident (Pasadena Police Department, records fees; Fiscal Year 2027 fee schedule). The department says "Many police reports are not available for release." State law gives crime victims more, as the table shows.
| Record | How it is requested | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| A police report | In person at the Records Section, or by mail with a check or money order | $10 |
| Police photos | In writing, with the fee | $84 |
| Audio or video recordings | In writing, with the fee | $85 |
| Witness names, statements and diagrams | By the victim or an authorized representative, for listed crimes, under Government Code section 7923.605 | Ask the agency |
| Report, photographs and any 911 recording for a domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking victim | By the victim, within five years after the report is completed, under Family Code section 6228 | One free copy |
Call logs and recordings
The Pasadena Police Department lists call for service logs, 911 and telephone recordings, and crime reports among the records people commonly request under the Public Records Act, through its online request form, and says victim-identifying details in sex crime reports are usually redacted (Public Records Act page). State law makes the time, substance and location of calls for help public, with safety exceptions (Government Code section 7923.615). Recordings do not last: city departments may destroy 911 and radio recordings "after 100 days" (Government Code section 34090.6; section 26202.6), and body camera video with no evidentiary value "should be retained for a minimum of 60 days" (Penal Code section 832.18).
Code Compliance in Pasadena
Pasadena asks renters to report repair or safety problems to the landlord or property manager first, in writing, and to keep a record of the request. If the problem is not fixed, the City's Code Compliance Division takes complaints through the City Service Center, online or at (626) 744-7311 (City of Pasadena, August 2026). Pasadena's Rent Stabilization Department says harassment and retaliation against tenants are prohibited, including retaliation for complaining to a building or health inspector (Tenant Resources; retaliation info sheet). A complaint adds a dated City record to what the landlord was told.
Written notice to the landlord
Notice to the landlord is also what California's lock statute turns on. A residential landlord must keep working dead bolts, window locks and common entry door locks, but is not liable for a violation unless it fails to fix the problem within a reasonable time after notice (Civil Code section 1941.3(a), (b)). The same statute says a violation "shall not broaden, limit, or otherwise affect the duty of care owed by a landlord" (section 1941.3(d)). A dated email, text or portal message shows what the landlord was told and when. Our guide to what a landlord must do about crime covers locks, lighting and cameras.
Measure H in Pasadena
Pasadena's Measure H, a voter-approved charter amendment in effect since December 22, 2022, gives most Pasadena renters just cause eviction protection and puts multi-unit buildings built before February 1, 1995 under rent stabilization. It is run by the Pasadena Rental Housing Board and the City's Rent Stabilization Department (Measure H; is my unit covered). Under Measure H, a tenant who keeps committing a nuisance after a written notice to cease can be evicted, and using the unit for an "illegal purpose" is another listed cause (just cause overview). State law lists a nuisance and criminal activity by the tenant "on the residential real property, including any common areas," as at-fault just cause (Civil Code section 1946.2(b)(1)(C), (F)). Which law covers a given building is a question for a lawyer (section 1946.2(i)).
Filed termination notices
Measure H makes a landlord file any termination notice with the Rent Stabilization Department within three days of serving it on the tenant, according to the City's just cause overview. If a Pasadena landlord tried to evict a tenant who threatened or attacked neighbors, the filing is a dated public record that the attempt was made. It does not by itself prove what the landlord knew or when. Eviction was one of the tools the landlord had; whether it had to use that tool is a separate question.
Reports about a dangerous tenant
A landlord's power to evict is not proof of a case. The strongest cases usually involve written reports to the landlord or manager about threats or violence by a specific person, and no meaningful response. Complaints about noise or suspected drug activity, without threats or violence, are weaker evidence that violence was foreseeable. In Castaneda v. Olsher (2007) 41 Cal.4th 1205, the California Supreme Court said eviction "cannot be considered a minimal burden" and that a duty to evict arises only where a tenant's behavior made violence "highly foreseeable." In Madhani v. Cooper (2003) 106 Cal.App.4th 412, a tenant made "at least six requests to the building managers for help," and the Court of Appeal reversed summary judgment for the landlords. Our guide to an attack by another tenant covers the steps short of eviction.
Records to preserve
The records most likely to disappear are the ones the owner controls, because no California statute we have found requires a private owner to keep camera footage for a set time. A preservation letter asks the owner, the manager, any hotel operator and any security company to keep:
- video from every camera on the property, for a period before and after the attack;
- access control, intercom, gate, key fob and hotel key card logs;
- security company post orders, daily activity reports and schedules;
- incident reports, and work orders for doors, gates, locks and lighting;
- complaints, emails, texts and portal messages about the attacker or about safety; and
- notices served on the attacker, and communications with the police.
Our negligent security evidence checklist lists the records to request and who holds each one. Our guides on how to prove a negligent security case and hotel and motel assaults explain how the records are used.
Victim services and CalVCB
The District Attorney's victim services office for Pasadena is at the Pasadena Courthouse, 300 East Walnut Street, Room 103, and its help is free whether or not charges are filed (District Attorney, Victim Services; office locations). The Pasadena Police Department refers crime victims to the District Attorney's Victim-Witness Assistance Program at 1-800-380-3811 for information on Marsy's Law (Pasadena Police, Resources). The California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB) can pay some costs after a violent crime (what is covered). As of November 11, 2026, its deadline is "Within seven years of the crime," seven years after the direct victim turns 21, or seven years from discovery, "whichever is later" (who is eligible). CalVCB is "a payor of last resort," and an applicant later paid by a civil lawsuit "must repay CalVCB."
Courthouse for Pasadena cases
A negligent security lawsuit from Pasadena is filed in the courthouse the Los Angeles Superior Court assigns to the place where it happened, because an unlimited civil personal injury action "must be filed in the judicial district where the incident arose" (Local Rule 2.3(a)(1)(A), effective July 1, 2026). For Pasadena, the court's filing court locator lists the Pasadena Courthouse at 300 East Walnut Street, or the Burbank, Glendale or Alhambra courthouse. The court says adjustments in its North Central District can change the filing location, so the courthouse is confirmed with the clerk before filing.
Filing deadlines
Most California injury lawsuits must be filed within two years of the injury (Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1). If a city, a county, the State, a school district, a transit agency or another public entity may be responsible, a written claim must first be presented to that entity within six months after the claim accrues (Government Code section 911.2). The lawsuit against the entity then has its own deadline: six months after a written rejection notice is delivered or mailed, or two years from the date the claim accrued if no written notice is given (Government Code section 945.6). The dates in any one case should be calculated by a lawyer. Our negligent security deadlines guide lists other periods, and the deadline calculator counts the two-year date.
Responsible companies and insurance
When someone is attacked on property in California, the people who may be responsible include the property owner, the property management company, the security company and any business that controlled the area. Each may have its own liability insurance. California requires every licensed private patrol operator to keep commercial general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 for any one loss or occurrence (Business and Professions Code section 7583.40). Whether a policy pays for a particular attack depends on its terms, so the policies must be obtained and read. Our guide to insurance and who pays covers exclusions and each layer of coverage.
Fees and contact
Contacting Wise Law starts nothing you do not choose. The confidential form on this page asks only for any name, a phone number or an email, and a safe time to call. No fee unless we recover. If there is no recovery, you owe no fee and no case costs. For crashes and other injuries in the city, see our Pasadena personal injury lawyer page.
Sources cited
- Judicial Council of California Civil Jury Instructions (CACI), 2026 edition, No. 1005: courts.ca.gov (PDF)
- Civil Code sections 1941.3 and 1946.2, and Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 (california.public.law)
- Government Code sections 911.2, 945.6, 7923.605, 7923.615, 34090.6 and 26202.6 (california.public.law)
- Family Code section 6228, Penal Code section 832.18 and Business and Professions Code section 7583.40 (california.public.law)
- Cases on CourtListener: Castaneda v. Olsher (2007), Madhani v. Cooper (2003), Vasquez v. Residential Investments, Inc. (2004), O'Hara v. Western Seven Trees Corp. (1977) and Delgado v. Trax Bar & Grill (2005)
- Los Angeles Superior Court, Local Rules, Chapter 2, effective July 1, 2026: lacourt.ca.gov (PDF); Filing Court Locator: lacourt.ca.gov
- Pasadena Police Department, records fees: cityofpasadena.net (PDF); Public Records Act: cityofpasadena.net; Resources: cityofpasadena.net
- City of Pasadena, Fiscal Year 2027 General Fee Schedule: cityofpasadena.net (PDF); rental housing maintenance news release, August 2026: cityofpasadena.net
- Pasadena Rent Stabilization Department, Measure H: cityofpasadena.net; is my unit covered: cityofpasadena.net; just cause overview: cityofpasadena.net; Tenant Resources: cityofpasadena.net; retaliation info sheet: cityofpasadena.net
- Los Angeles County District Attorney, Victim Services: da.lacounty.gov; office locations: da.lacounty.gov
- California Victim Compensation Board, what is covered and who is eligible: victims.ca.gov and victims.ca.gov