Caltrans tenants and advocates urge independent audit of property sales, allege Roberti law violations and long escrow delays

Tenants and housing advocates told the Interagency Transportation Equity Advisory Committee in Merced on Oct. 15 that they want an independent audit of Caltrans’ process for selling homes on its property, saying the current process risks displacing long-term residents.

"My home here should be a single family affordable resident, not a multifamily resident at market value," said Kelly Brinkman, a Caltrans tenant who said she has lived in a Caltrans-owned house for 17 years. Brinkman asked the committee to record tenants’ concerns and to support scrutiny of the sales process.

Several tenants and an organizer with United Caltrans Tenants described repeated problems with recent sales overseen by Caltrans, including prolonged escrow periods, questions about market-value appraisals and alleged disqualifications of prospective buyers.

"Caltrans is on the verge of displacing tenants who have been who have paid for their houses 20 times over," said Roberto Flores, a member of United Caltrans Tenants. Flores told the committee the Roberti bill — a state law intended to enable tenants to purchase Caltrans homes as a mitigation and affordability measure — is not being honored in spirit or practice, and that the agency has argued the bill is unconstitutional.

"I have been through 3 unsuccessful sales contracts with Caltrans," said Suzanne Easter, a Caltrans property resident. Easter said she has been in escrow multiple times and that a realtor working for Caltrans told her escrows could take up to seven years because of repairs and processing time.

Why it matters: speakers said the Roberti legislation (as described in public comment) was intended to give long-term tenants the opportunity to purchase their homes and mitigate displacement; they alleged the current sales process is producing outcomes contrary to that purpose. The committee cannot resolve sales or real estate disputes but can forward concerns to appropriate departments or elected officials.

Committee response and limits

Committee chair Martha Armas Kelly said the committee's role is to listen and record public concerns and that staff will forward comments to the relevant departments. "We are here to listen, capture, and be able to convey those ideas back, but oftentimes, we cannot comment only because we don't have the expertise or the authority to do so," Chair Martha Armas Kelly said.

Speakers' claims and requests

- Tenants asked for an independent audit of Caltrans’ sales practices, including notice of how prices and comps were set and how long escrows are taking.

- Speakers alleged the agency is pricing properties at market values and using criteria that disqualify long-term tenants; they asked for enforcement or oversight that would prioritize tenant purchase under the Roberti bill’s intended mitigation.

- Tenants described long processing times and multiple failed contracts; one speaker reported being told repair schedules and agency processes could extend escrow for multiple years.

What the record shows and what it does not

The committee recorded public comment and pledged to pass remarks to the appropriate Caltrans offices and elected officials. Committee members did not take a formal position on the sales practices during the meeting, and no agency representative present offered an immediate response to the allegations on the record.

What to watch

Tenants and organizers requested follow-up from staff and elected officials. If committee staff or state lawmakers pursue an audit or request additional review, those steps would be separate actions initiated outside the committee’s formal authority.