You know something, Angelo Tsakopoulos? For a multi-millionaire land developer, you sure are a heck of a guy! We at CSUS can’t thank you enough for donating $5 million dollars worth of Greek books and artifacts to Sac State last year. When the Tsakopoulos Collection opens this fall in our school’s library, you will have cemented your place as one of this university’s great benefactors and–possibly–the capital region’s pre-eminent philanthropist.

Yes, indeed, you are a real giver. I can only hope that students on campus know what a true sweetheart they have in Uncle Angelo. You’d do anything to help out!

Like in 2001, when you set aside 600 acres of land in Placer County for a private university? That was such a nice thing to do for the kids, even if the Placer County Water Agency told you there wasn’t enough water in their booming district to support such a plan.

And where would all of those university students and employees live, anyway? Well, fortunately for them, you have another 2,700 agricultural acres out there you can finally rezone for residential development! And since land in that part of the county is valued around at least $100,000 an acre (as an associate of yours told The Sacramento Bee at the time–it’s likely much more today), you can cash in for nearly $300 million!

Golly, Angelo! You’re just too kind!

Students here will also want to know what a nature lover you are. After all, in Sacramento, the name “Tsakopoulos” has always been synonymous with “environmental champion”! You proved this in the mid-1990s, when you repeatedly plowed several acres of southern Sacramento County wetlands, in violation of the federal Clean Water Act.

Even after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers warned you to stop, you continued “deep-ripping” the land so that your orchards could take root. The federal government–worried that loosened soils and clays could ultimately pollute endangered species habitats in the wetlands–had little choice but to take you to court.

Of course, you had no legitimate defense against shredding protected wetlands for more than a year, so you lost. After dodging the statutory maximum penalty of $8.95 million, you got away with a $500,000 fine. That’s not too bad, but in the end you did what any contrite, conscientious developer would do: You sued your insurance company for both legal fees and wetlands restoration costs, and then tied up the legal system with one appeal after another until you arrived at the U.S. Supreme Court. Then, late last year, you lost there, too!

Oh, well–none of this stopped the Sacramento Business Journal from naming you its 2002 “Businessperson of the Year.” I’ll bet CSUS business students hope that after they graduate, they’ll all be lucky enough someday to lose an appeal at the U.S. Supreme Court! Think of the career opportunities! Think of the prestige! To hell with the law, right, Angelo?

Well, maybe that’s not entirely true. You did invoke your Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination on multiple occasions during the 1980s, when you were included in a series of California Fair Political Practices Commission investigations that landed former Sacramento County Supervisor William Bryan in prison.

Remember, Angelo? You were named as the original source of more than $250,000 in “loans” to Bryan, who was alleged to have voted to approve some of your development projects in turn. Additionally, Bryan’s former campaign manager testified to the FPPC that he had laundered $3,000 that you wanted to go to another individual’s 1981 Sacramento City Council campaign–without “call(ing) attention” to yourself, as the witness explained.

You sure have come a long way since then, Angelo–these days, some of your campaign contributions are actually reported to the California Secretary of State! Why, you gave $1.4 million to local and state candidates and ballot measures in 2001-02 alone! Guess you’re finally getting serious about all of this political business.

Here’s to hoping that everybody here knows a little bit more about the warm-hearted teddy bear behind the Tsakopoulos Collection. We know you try to avoid the spotlight, Angelo, but I think the university community owes you a great big “Thanks!” We’re all so proud to have your support–and to think we didn’t even have to pay for it!

Really, Angelo, you shouldn’t have!

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