Towing Issues: Vehicle towed from apartment complex w/ expired registration, lease clauses, tow company

Question
Hi, I live in a large, gated apartment complex in Anaheim, CA. I woke up this morning to find my car gone from where I had parked it in the community parking lot (for which I have a legit permit), but my registration expired in 9/07. Apparently, it is written on our lease agreement that they can tow the car for this.  Is this legal?  If so, shouldn't they have to notify me before hand and/or after the fact?  I have spoken to several police friends in CA and none of them beleive that it is.  Please let me know your thoughts.  Thanks.

Answer
First of all, the police friends are basing the answers on public property issues not private property issues...

The apartment complex is private property and as such they can make rules and regulations which are different then what you would find out on the streets... If they want to allow only Purple colored Yugos in the lot they can do that... It is their property to do what they wish.

But standard lease clauses do prohibit vehicles which are "unlicensed, inoperative, or abandoned" from being on the property.

You admit that the tags expired in September and it is now November... Usually they do give a grace period of a few days or so but a month and a half is a bit much..

As to notifications, they might of put a letter on the vehicle to warn you, but do you check the vehicle each day.
The tow company does not have to notify you that they are towing it, they do call the local pd after it is towed to notify they so a stolen vehicle report is not filed...
Then according to state law (which does take time to do) they do send out letters stating it was towed, what it costs and how to redeem the vehicle from the tow company.

On the notification issue also I do have to ask this question... The last time the vehicle was registered was it in your name at the address you live at now and where the vehicle was towed from.  Or have you moved and not changed the address... That can also affect the notification process via the tow company as they use records from California DMV.