California’s transportation department, Caltrans, is selling over 500 properties it seized decades ago for a defunct highway project along the 710 Corridor. While this sale offers a unique chance for reparations to communities harmed by urban renewal projects, many local residents feel excluded from the process, sparking controversy and frustration.
Historically, government projects often targeted Black and Latino neighborhoods, displacing families and depriving them of generational wealth. The recent property sales, intended to provide opportunities for homeownership, are failing to fully address these historical injustices. Many long-time tenants who live in the homes being sold are now struggling to secure their right to purchase them, despite state laws intended to prioritize current residents.
In the El Sereno neighborhood, residents like Isabel Lomeli have made multiple attempts to buy Caltrans-owned properties but were repeatedly turned down. The state law grants existing tenants priority, but loopholes and opaque decision-making have allowed nonprofit organizations and city agencies to acquire many of these homes instead. Lomeli, like many others, faces an uphill battle against a system that appears to favor institutional buyers over individuals.
Nonprofits and city agencies purchasing these properties are required to use them for affordable housing, but this doesn’t resolve the frustration of local residents who feel sidelined. Many believe that Caltrans and lawmakers are not doing enough to give priority to those who have lived in these neighborhoods for years, and this process is perceived as perpetuating the systemic injustices of the past.
State lawmakers are pushing for reforms to correct these issues. Senate Bill 1050, spearheaded by Sen. Steven Bradford, aims to provide a path for restoring properties taken through eminent domain, particularly when racial motivations were involved. However, it still awaits the governor’s approval.
While Caltrans maintains that it’s following the law, the ongoing exclusion of longtime residents from the opportunity to buy their homes continues to deepen wounds in communities already scarred by decades of displacement and neglect. If true reparations are to be achieved, policymakers and agencies must ensure that the people who have been harmed the most are given a fair chance to rebuild their lives and secure their future through homeownership.
