Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

No, a Plaintiff can not serve court papers on any defendant, on the concept that the plaintiff might lie as to whether service occurred as he/she has a direct economic interest. The landlord can personally serve you with a three day or 30 day notice to vacate.

To elaborate on Mr. Shers' answer: the rule is that court papers of any kind must be served by a person over 18 years old who is not a party to the litigation. This includes service by mail as well as personal service.