i received my safety deposit back only after 5 months after moving out - only after I wrote to him a formal letter saying that I'll take him to small claims court - and he made my roommate pay it to me because he claimed he never received it from her! Same problems were with other people who live there - he doesn't have any paperwork confirming that they paid him.
take him to small claims court - it won't cost much, and he'll have to pay all the expences, plus may be responsible for paying TWICE the amount he owes you - for your reference, Cal. Civ. Code 1950.5.
All the repairs were made very late - sometimes a month after submitting a request. Hallways are dirty. No decent access to dumpster.