Several tenants and community advocates used the public comment period at the August 2025 CTC meeting to criticize Caltrans’ handling of the State Route 710 residential property sales program and to urge Commission oversight.

Speakers described long delays in escrow, what they called systemic deferred maintenance of properties Caltrans still owns, and opaque eligibility and valuation practices under the Roberti‑Z'berg‑Harris ‘Roberti’ Act (the statute governing surplus property sales to tenants). Commenters asked the Commission to require Caltrans to suspend non‑occupant sales, transfer the sales process to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), and impose stronger transparency and repair funds to preserve affordable housing.

Connie Guzman (representing affected tenants) said escrows promised as 120 days had stretched into years for many households and described displaced families and deteriorating units. Tenant Timothy Iveson referenced past Commission discussions and argued that earlier Roberti Act programs were successfully administered under HCD; he urged the Commission and Legislature to intervene. Other tenants, including Sean Salazar and Kelly Brinkman, said they had been denied eligibility or received unclear denials and requested straightforward timelines and forensic accounting of proceeds.

A written public comment cited Government Code 54237.3 and asked for an itemized accounting of which SR‑710 corridor properties were sold, to whom, sale prices and net proceeds allocations. Speakers asked the Commission to make SR‑710 sales a standing CTC agenda item to ensure transparency and to impose a moratorium on non‑occupant sales until issues are addressed. Chair Grisby and members asked Caltrans to prepare an update to present at a future meeting; Caltrans indicated it would work with CTC staff to provide a status report.