Steve Gidaro is a well known developer, hunter and waterfowl enthusiast in the greater Sacramento region. His development company is called 5G Consulting and is based in Sacramento.
He first made waves in Davis in March of 2004 when he spent more than $20,000 to encourage voters to support various candidates. While these candidates did not ask for his support and he received considerable criticism for attempting to influence the election, a subsequent review by the Davis City Attorney found that Gidaro broke no state or local campaign laws.
During the November 2005 Yolo County Election, Gidaro's name again came into prominence, playing a large role for some who were pushing a "Yes" vote on Measure X. Gidaro was the centerpiece of several letters from City Council members and Board of Supervisors member Helen Thomson to The Davis Enterprise as well as other public venues. These letters carried the message that Measure X was essential to keeping out developers such as Steve Gidaro, and they referred to his developments as "the definition of sprawl." During the election, Gidaro was "characterized as only one shade nicer than Saddam Hussein," according to Bob Dunning.
Generally, Gidaro buys land for the purpose of developing residential, commercial or industrial projects. He is at least part owner of:
With respect to Conaway Ranch, Gidaro claims that his primary goal is to maintain private ownership while allowing for agaricultural conservation easements and other public control mechanisms to be placed on the Ranch, thereby ensuring certainty with respect to the land use and water values of the Ranch.
One critic, Kevin Wolf, a prominent supporter of the recent Measure X campaign, last year formed a website called Gidaro Election Watch.
For more info about Gidaro's history of conservation, see: http://www.conawayranch.org/. Click on About Steve Gidaro. It talks a lot about his love for hunting and his desire to protect farmland for wildlife and hunting. This piece does not mention his various development projects in the region.
