Angelo Tsakopoulos

Angelo K. Tsakopoulos (born 1936) is a Greek-American real estate developer and philanthropist who founded AKT Development, a major firm in Sacramento, California, after immigrating from Greece as a teenager.^[1][2] Born in the village of Rizes in Arcadia, Greece, Tsakopoulos arrived in the United States around 1951 and initially worked in various jobs before entering real estate in the 1960s, establishing AKT Investments in 1964.^[3][4] Under his leadership, the company has developed over 60,000 acres of land in the Sacramento region, contributing significantly to local growth and infrastructure.^[4][5] Tsakopoulos has engaged extensively in philanthropy, supporting educational institutions, cultural organizations, and Hellenic causes through donations of land for schools and hospitals, as well as funding via the Tsakopoulos Hellenic Foundation.^[2][4][6] He has also been a prominent political donor, primarily to Democratic candidates and committees, including substantial contributions to his daughter Eleni Kounalakis's successful campaigns for California lieutenant governor.^[7][8] In a notable controversy, Tsakopoulos was fined $500,000 in 1999 by a U.S. District Court for 358 violations of the Clean Water Act due to unauthorized plowing and filling of wetlands on his Borden Ranch property; the penalty was upheld through appeals, including a deadlocked U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2002.^[9][10]

Early Life

Birth and Greek Origins

Angelo Tsakopoulos was born on August 4, 1936, in the village of Rizes, located in the Arcadia region of the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece.^[11][3][1] Rizes, a rural community typical of Arcadian villages, featured agrarian lifestyles centered on farming and livestock, reflecting the broader economic and social conditions of interwar and postwar Greece marked by limited industrialization and reliance on agriculture.^[12] Tsakopoulos grew up in a modest farming family as one of five children, with his father employed as a butcher facing significant challenges in providing for the household amid Greece's economic difficulties following World War II and the Greek Civil War.^[13][12] These early experiences in Arcadia instilled in him a foundational connection to the land, including an early appreciation for trees and natural resources, which originated from his father's practices and the village environment.^[4] The Tsakopoulos surname itself traces etymological roots to Greek maritime terms, though specific family lineage details beyond the immediate rural context remain limited in public records.^[14]

Immigration and Early Years in America

Tsakopoulos was born on August 4, 1936, in Rizes, a rural village in Arcadia, Greece, where his family engaged in farming amid the hardships of Nazi occupation during World War II.^[12][4] In 1951, at age 15, he immigrated with his family to the United States via steamship, arriving in New York Harbor and passing the Statue of Liberty, motivated by prospects for better opportunities post-war.^[5][15] Upon arrival, the family initially settled in Chicago, where Tsakopoulos lived with an aunt and uncle and supported the household by shining shoes.^[5] After about a year, they relocated to Lodi, California, to stay with another aunt and uncle, marking the family's transition to the West Coast.^[5] There, Tsakopoulos formed early connections, including with local families like the Fitzers, who encouraged his pursuit of education despite limited resources.^[5] In California, Tsakopoulos attended Stockton Junior College before transferring to California State University, Sacramento (then Sacramento State College), where he studied political science and business administration.^[5][4] To finance his studies, he took on manual jobs such as waiting tables, reflecting the self-reliant adaptation typical of post-war Greek immigrants navigating economic challenges without formal welfare support.^[4] These years laid the groundwork for his integration, emphasizing personal initiative over institutional aid in building stability.^[5]

Business Career

Entry into Real Estate

Tsakopoulos entered the real estate sector during his studies at California State University, Sacramento, where he supported himself by waiting tables and selling properties on weekends.^[4] As a young real estate salesperson, he received pivotal advice from a veteran realtor to prioritize investing in and selling undeveloped land over built homes, recognizing the higher long-term value in land amid regional growth.^[5] To identify promising opportunities, Tsakopoulos analyzed transportation infrastructure's role in urban expansion, driving along Highway 99 and comparing current maps with older ones to pinpoint areas with improving access via freeways, buses, and airports.^[5] This empirical approach, grounded in observable patterns of development tied to mobility, informed his early strategy for land acquisition and resale in Sacramento and surrounding regions.^[5] By 1963, he had established the foundational operations of his real estate business in Sacramento, leveraging these methods to build initial holdings.^[2]

Founding and Expansion of AKT Development

Angelo Tsakopoulos founded AKT Investments, Inc. in Sacramento in 1964, establishing the foundation for his real estate ventures focused on land development in Northern California.^[4] This initial enterprise began with the company's first real estate transaction that year, leveraging Tsakopoulos's experience in finance and property acquisition to identify opportunities in the region's growing economy.^[11] By the early 1970s, the firm evolved into AKT Development, emphasizing large-scale property development projects that transformed agricultural land into residential, commercial, and mixed-use communities.^[15] Under Tsakopoulos's leadership as chairman and founder, AKT expanded its portfolio through strategic land acquisitions and entitlements, becoming one of the Sacramento area's largest developers.^[16] Over the subsequent decades, the company developed more than 60,000 acres, contributing significantly to urban growth and infrastructure in the region while adhering to principles of sustainable planning and community integration.^[4][17] AKT's growth involved key expansions into master-planned communities and commercial properties, with ongoing projects demonstrating continued scale, such as recent acquisitions exceeding 200 acres in areas like Rancho Murieta for potential residential and recreational development.^[18] This trajectory reflects Tsakopoulos's vision of long-term value creation through methodical expansion rather than speculative ventures, prioritizing verifiable land use approvals and economic viability.^[19]

Major Developments and Economic Impact

Tsakopoulos founded AKT Investments in 1964, completing its first residential subdivision that year and establishing a foundation for large-scale land development in the Sacramento region. Over subsequent decades, AKT expanded into master-planned communities and commercial properties, with Laguna West serving as a flagship project that integrated residential, retail, and recreational spaces to promote sustainable suburban growth.^[4] This development, located in Elk Grove, emphasized community-oriented design, including parks and lakes, and contributed to the area's transformation from agricultural land into a vibrant residential hub.^[4][5] By the early 2000s, AKT had solidified its position as Greater Sacramento's largest land developer, having planned and built extensive residential and office projects across the Capital Region. The firm constructed over 40,000 homes and more than 30 million square feet of office space, bolstering the region's housing supply amid population influxes driven by state government expansion and economic opportunities.^[2][20] These efforts supported commercial real estate valued at approximately $3 billion under AKT's management, fostering ancillary economic activity through property investment and leasing.^[5] The economic impact of Tsakopoulos' developments includes job creation in construction, real estate operations, and supporting industries, as well as increased local tax revenues from new properties and infrastructure donations for public facilities like schools and museums. AKT's projects have been credited with shaping Sacramento's urban footprint, enabling residential expansion that accommodated workforce growth for sectors such as government and agriculture-related businesses.^[2][20] In recognition of these contributions, Tsakopoulos received accolades as Businessperson of the Year in 2003, highlighting AKT's role in regional prosperity despite ongoing debates over land use and sprawl.^[20] More recent initiatives, such as proposed industrial parks near Sacramento International Airport and housing annexations, continue to aim at diversifying economic drivers like logistics and healthcare.^[21][22]

Philanthropy

Support for Education and Hellenic Studies

Tsakopoulos has directed significant philanthropic resources toward education, with a primary emphasis on advancing Hellenic studies through his alma mater, California State University, Sacramento (Sac State). In December 2002, he donated a collection of more than 70,000 volumes encompassing ancient and modern Greek texts, which formed the core of the Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection in the university's library.^[15][23] This resource, opened to the public in 2003, has expanded to over 83,000 volumes, including journals, electronic materials, rare books, archives, and artifacts focused on the Hellenic world from Byzantium to the present.^[23] The donation underpins the Angelo K. Tsakopoulos Hellenic Studies Center at Sac State, which facilitates research and programming on post-Classical Hellenism, Byzantine studies, and modern Greek history, literature, and politics.^[23] Tsakopoulos has sustained the center's operations through ongoing financial contributions, including support for the A.K. Tsakopoulos Fund, enabling acquisitions, digitization, and scholarly events.^[2] In recognition of these efforts, the collection marked its 20th anniversary in May 2024 with events highlighting its role as an international research hub.^[24] Complementing the collection, Tsakopoulos established the Hellenic Research Fellowship Program (HRFP) in 2012, providing stipends ranging from $1,500 to $5,000 to visiting scholars and writers for research residencies in Sacramento utilizing the holdings.^[25][26] The program, funded in part by affiliated entities like the Tsakopoulos Hellenic Foundation, reimburses expenses for transportation, lodging, and materials, prioritizing projects in Hellenic studies broadly defined.^[25] Via the Tsakopoulos Hellenic Foundation, a private entity he founded, Tsakopoulos channels grants toward educational initiatives preserving and promoting Hellenic cultural heritage, including enhancements to university collections and programs. These efforts reflect his view, expressed in public statements, that education in free thought and civic engagement—rooted in Hellenic traditions—remains essential for cultural continuity.^[27]

Contributions to Healthcare and Community Infrastructure

Tsakopoulos has supported healthcare infrastructure in Northern California through substantial land donations to hospital systems. In 1983, he donated 3.5 acres on Rush River Drive in Sacramento for the Asian Community Nursing Home (now ACC Care Center), enabling construction of a facility that opened in 1987 to deliver culturally sensitive convalescent and skilled nursing care for Asian American seniors amid limited options in the region.^[28][29] The Tsakopoulos and Cummings families jointly donated 26 acres in Folsom for Mercy Hospital of Folsom, a 95-bed acute care facility opened by Dignity Health's Sisters of Mercy on Creekside Drive to expand local medical services.^[30] In May 2015, Angelo and Sofia Tsakopoulos gifted 32.85 acres of vacant land in Lincoln—valued at more than $10 million—to Dignity Health through the Mercy Foundation, building on prior family support for the system's regional healthcare expansion, though specific development plans for the site remain unspecified.^[31][32][33] His contributions extend to community infrastructure via land gifts for public facilities serving education, seniors, and civic needs. Tsakopoulos donated parcels for schools, museums, art galleries, and senior centers, fostering community development in the Sacramento area.^[2][4] One such effort included a 200-acre donation to the University of California, Davis, for a teaching, research, and health complex dedicated to healthy living initiatives.^[34]

Environmental and Civic Initiatives

Tsakopoulos co-founded the Sacramento Tree Foundation in 1982 alongside Jane Hagedorn and other local leaders to advance tree planting and urban forestry efforts in the Sacramento region.^[4] He provided initial seed funding for the organization's operations and hosted fundraising dinners at his residence to sustain its activities.^[4] Through his development company, AKT Investments, Inc., Tsakopoulos incorporated shade tree plantings into residential projects such as Laguna West, contributing to enhanced urban green spaces.^[4] In support of urban wood utilization, Tsakopoulos donated logs from his walnut tree farm and a pine tree from his backyard to the Foundation's Urban Wood Rescue program, launched in 2018, which repurposes salvaged wood to reduce waste and promote sustainable forestry practices.^[4] The Foundation honored him in 2023 at its Oak-toberfest event for his longstanding commitment to expanding Sacramento's urban forest, including advocacy for replacing removed trees and preserving mature ones amid development pressures.^[4][35] Tsakopoulos has facilitated environmental conservation by selling parcels of his holdings to land trusts and agencies dedicated to habitat protection and public access. In October 2018, he sold approximately 1,018 acres of El Dorado Ranch along the Cosumnes River to the American River Conservancy for $4.68 million, marking the third such transaction since 2016 and enabling inclusion in a future state wildlife area to prevent development and preserve riparian ecosystems.^[36] In May 2024, the Tsakopoulos family, in partnership with the Cummings and Brodovsky families, sold 1,567 acres overlooking Lake Clementine and the North Fork American River to the Trust for Public Land and Placer Land Trust, which transferred the property to the Bureau of Land Management for perpetual protection, wildlife habitat maintenance, watershed preservation, and recreational trail access.^[37] Additional conservation actions include AKT's sale of a conservation easement on 595 acres in western Placer County in January 2024 to the Placer Land Trust, restricting subdivision and non-agricultural development while allowing ongoing farming and open space retention.^[38] Earlier, his 2010 acquisition of Conaway Ranch incorporated provisions for 4,000 acres as a seasonal floodplain, supporting regional flood control and potential integration into the Bay Delta Conservation Plan.^[39] These efforts reflect Tsakopoulos's civic engagement in balancing development with environmental stewardship, including land donations for community infrastructure like schools and hospitals that indirectly bolster local resilience through green integration.^[4]

Political Involvement

Personal Donations and Democratic Ties

Angelo Tsakopoulos has been a prolific donor to Democratic candidates and organizations, particularly in California politics, with contributions totaling millions of dollars over decades. In 2006, he directed nearly $9 million to campaigns supporting Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides, including direct contributions and funding for allied efforts, marking one of the largest individual influences in a single California election cycle.^[40] His donations have extended to the state party apparatus, such as a $10,000 contribution to the Democratic Party of California on August 11, 2022.^[41] Tsakopoulos maintains longstanding personal ties to prominent national Democrats, notably the Clinton family, whom he has supported across multiple federal campaigns spanning Bill Clinton's presidential runs and Hillary Clinton's Senate and presidential bids. He is among the 146 donors who contributed to all six of the Clintons' federal races since 1992, reflecting consistent financial backing rooted in personal friendships.^[42] In November 2015, Hillary Clinton attended a Sacramento fundraiser hosted by Tsakopoulos, underscoring these connections during her presidential campaign.^[43] Tsakopoulos has publicly affirmed insider knowledge of Clinton political plans, claiming in 2013 that Bill Clinton confided Hillary's intent to run for president in 2016.^[44] These donations and relationships align with Tsakopoulos's broader engagement in Democratic networks, though his giving has occasionally crossed party lines in targeted races, such as support for select Republican challengers against entrenched Democrats.^[45] Nonetheless, the preponderance of his political funding has bolstered Democratic infrastructure and candidates, often leveraging his real estate success to amplify influence in policy areas like development and economic growth.^[46]

Family's Political Activities and Influence

Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis, eldest daughter of Angelo Tsakopoulos, pursued a political career marked by appointments and elections within Democratic circles. Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2010, she served as the United States Ambassador to Hungary until 2013, becoming the first Greek-American woman to hold such a post. In 2018, she won election as California's 50th Lieutenant Governor, the first woman in the role, defeating Republican John Cox with 52.6% of the vote after a primary victory. Her father contributed $2.02 million to a super PAC supporting her campaign, highlighting familial financial backing in state races. Kounalakis's tenure as Lieutenant Governor, beginning January 7, 2019, involved presiding over the State Senate and chairing commissions on economic development and workforce preparation. She announced her bid for California Governor on April 24, 2023, positioning herself as a proponent of opportunity and business experience, while pledging a blind trust for family real estate assets to address potential conflicts. The family's Sacramento roots and real estate wealth have amplified this influence, with Kounalakis crediting her father's civic engagement lessons for her democratic involvement. Other Tsakopoulos siblings, such as brother Kyriakos, have focused primarily on business leadership at AKT Investments rather than elected office, though family foundations occasionally intersect with policy through philanthropy. One son-in-law, tied to the family via marriage, attempted a Republican congressional run in New York in 2014 despite the clan's dominant Democratic leanings, illustrating varied ideological threads. Overall, the family's political sway in California manifests through Eleni's ascent and strategic donations, fostering ties to figures like the Clintons and state Democrats, without evidence of broader partisan diversification.

Legal Controversies

Clean Water Act Violations and Borden Ranch Case

In June 1993, Angelo Tsakopoulos purchased Borden Ranch, an approximately 8,400-acre property near Galt, California, with plans to convert portions of its rangeland to irrigated cropland, including deep ripping to prepare the soil for vineyards.^[47][48] This agricultural technique involved plowing to depths of up to seven feet, which federal regulators from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined had discharged fill material into jurisdictional wetlands, violating Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA).^[10] The agencies identified over 300 instances of unauthorized discharges, affecting roughly two acres of protected wetland swales and vernal pools connected to navigable waters via tributaries.^[48][49] In 1995, following an investigation prompted by the plowing activities, the Corps issued an administrative order prohibiting further deep ripping on sensitive areas and requiring mitigation, which Tsakopoulos contested in federal court, arguing that established farming practices were exempt from CWA permitting requirements under the Act's agricultural exemption and that the wetlands lacked sufficient hydrological connection to regulated waters.^[50][51] The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California ruled in 2000 that Tsakopoulos and Borden Ranch Partnership had committed 358 CWA violations through the deep ripping, imposing a $500,000 civil penalty and mandating restoration of four acres of impacted wetlands.^[47][51] The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the applicability of the CWA to the deep ripping in wetland swales but reversed findings of violations in one isolated vernal pool after the government withdrew that claim, upholding the bulk of the district court's liability determination.^[10][49] In 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court deadlocked 4-4 on Tsakopoulos's petition for certiorari, effectively affirming the Ninth Circuit's decision without issuing an opinion, thereby upholding the fines and restoration order.^[47][52] Tsakopoulos maintained that the ruling threatened traditional agricultural operations by expanding federal jurisdiction over routine land preparation, a position echoed in property rights challenges but rejected by the courts in this instance.^[53][51]

Other Regulatory Disputes and Property Rights Challenges

In addition to the Borden Ranch litigation, Tsakopoulos and his affiliated entities have encountered regulatory obstacles related to groundwater contamination on properties intended for development in the Sacramento region. In 2012, Tsakopoulos, along with partners including his daughter Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis, filed suit against Aerojet General Corporation and other entities, alleging that industrial pollutants such as trichloroethylene had migrated into groundwater beneath parcels owned by Tsakopoulos Holdings, Inc., near Rancho Cordova.^[54][55] The contamination, stemming from Aerojet's historical rocket manufacturing operations, triggered state and federal remediation requirements under laws like the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, imposing significant cleanup costs and delaying land use approvals for residential and commercial projects.^[56] Plaintiffs sought recovery of over $10 million in investigation and treatment expenses, arguing that the pollution constituted a continuing trespass and nuisance that diminished property value and viability for urban development.^[54] The case highlighted tensions between legacy industrial liability and private property development rights, with settlement discussions ongoing as of late 2012 to allocate remediation burdens.^[55] Tsakopoulos Investments, LLC, controlled by Tsakopoulos family interests, challenged Sacramento County's environmental review for the Mather South Community Plan in 2020, filing a petition under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) that contested the adequacy of the program's greenhouse gas emissions analysis.^[57] The suit argued that the County's sector- and region-specific thresholds for significance lacked substantial evidence, potentially restricting development on approximately 2,100 acres of Tsakopoulos-owned land zoned for mixed-use projects including up to 10,000 housing units.^[58] The Third District Court of Appeal upheld the County's approvals in September 2023, affirming the use of localized data over statewide models for assessing climate impacts, thereby allowing the master plan to proceed despite the regulatory delay of several years.^[57][59] This dispute exemplified broader property rights concerns under CEQA, where iterative environmental litigation can impose de facto moratoriums on land conversion from agricultural to urban uses. Properties associated with Tsakopoulos have also faced eminent domain pressures tied to public infrastructure needs. In the early 2010s, Yolo County initiated proceedings against portions of Conaway Ranch, a 20,000-acre holding partially owned by Tsakopoulos, to secure conservation easements for flood control and habitat preservation under the Central Valley Flood Protection Act.^[60] A 2011 settlement permitted Tsakopoulos to transfer development rights from 6,000 acres of restricted farmland to off-site urban infill sites, averting full condemnation but drawing lawsuits from environmental groups alleging inadequate mitigation for habitat loss.^[60] Similarly, in 2022, Tsakopoulos Holdings negotiated with the California Department of Water Resources over flowage easements on Yolo County land for the Sites Reservoir project, consenting to potential eminent domain in exchange for compensation and project participation rights.^[61] These episodes underscore recurring conflicts between private landownership and state-mandated public uses, often resolved through negotiated easements rather than outright takings.^[62]

Personal Life

Family and Marriages

Angelo Tsakopoulos was first married to Elaine Tsakopoulos, with whom he had four children.^{[63] [5]} Their children included Katina Tsakopoulos, Eleni Tsakopoulos, and Athena Tsakopoulos, born within six years of their marriage in the mid-20th century.^[63] Elaine Tsakopoulos died on November 6, 2022.^[63] Tsakopoulos's second marriage was to Sofia Tsakopoulos (née Leones), with whom he had two children; the marriage, which began around 1985, had lasted 38 years as of 2023.^{[5] [64]} In total, Tsakopoulos fathered six children across his two marriages.^{[5] [27]} Among his children, Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis has held prominent public roles, including as Lieutenant Governor of California.^[11] His son Kyriakos Tsakopoulos serves as CEO and president of AKT Development, a family-associated firm.^[65] Tsakopoulos has emphasized the role of family in instilling values such as education and Hellenic heritage among his children.^[27]

Interests and Residences

Tsakopoulos primarily resides in the Sacramento, California, area, in a home located near California State University, Sacramento, which has hosted multiple U.S. presidents.^[19] Born on August 4, 1936, in Rizes, Arcadia, Greece, he immigrated to the United States at age 15, initially living with relatives in Lodi, California, and Chicago before establishing permanent roots in Sacramento.^{[19] [15]} A devotee of ancient Greek philosophy and history, Tsakopoulos frequently references thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates in discussions of ethics and civic duty.^[19] This passion manifests in his establishment of the Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection at California State University, Sacramento, comprising over 70,000 volumes on ancient and modern Greek texts donated in 2002.^{[15] [66]} He also views appreciation for trees and nature as rooted in Hellenic traditions, influencing his personal outlook on environmental stewardship.^[4] In terms of physical pursuits, Tsakopoulos practices Pilates weekly and formerly ran competitively, an activity that once prompted him to quit smoking during a pheasant hunt.^[19] He enjoys storytelling and has performed singing at personal milestones, such as his 87th birthday celebration in 2023.^[19] Additionally, he supports research into aging, funding initiatives like a planned Center for the Study of Aging in collaboration with the University of California, Davis.^[19]

Legacy and Recent Developments

Recognition and Awards

In 2017, Tsakopoulos received the 22nd annual Trainor Fairbrook Humanitarian Award for his lifetime commitment to philanthropic causes in the Sacramento community, presented at the Association of Commercial Real Estate’s BOYA Charity Benefit, which raised $300,000 for the Make-a-Wish Foundation.^[67] On February 6, 2023, he was awarded the Kathimerini “Leader” (Ηγέτης) award as part of the “Hellas and Diaspora – The Future” initiative, recognizing his contributions to the Greek community in business, philanthropy, and education; the honor was presented by former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with messages from figures including Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.^[68] In October 2023, the Sacramento Tree Foundation honored Tsakopoulos at its Oak-toberfest event on October 30 for his leadership in preserving the urban forest, founding the foundation, and promoting community cohesion through urban planning that emphasized inclusivity.^[35] On April 13, 2024, the American Hellenic Institute presented Tsakopoulos with its Hellenic Heritage Lifetime Achievement Award at its 50th anniversary dinner in Washington, D.C., acknowledging his support for Hellenism and U.S.-Greece relations; the award was accepted on his behalf by John Sitilides, with an introduction via video from his daughter, California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis.^[69] In early 2025, Tsakopoulos was named Sacramentan of the Year by the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce at its 130th Annual Dinner and Business Awards, highlighting his role as a Northern California businessman and philanthropist.^[70] In October 2025, the National Hellenic Society recognized Tsakopoulos and his wife Sophia at its awards gala for their efforts in promoting Hellenism.^[71]

Ongoing Projects and Family Succession

AKT Investments Inc. and its affiliate AKT Development Corp. continue to pursue expansive land development initiatives in Northern California, focusing on residential, commercial, and industrial projects. In June 2025, AKT Development acquired over 200 acres west of the airport in Rancho Murieta, Sacramento County, signaling intent for future mixed-use expansion in the area.^[72] Similarly, in August 2025, AKT partnered with Buzz Oates to advance commercial and industrial development in Dixon's Northeast Quadrant near UC Davis, leveraging proximity to educational and research institutions for economic growth.^[73] These efforts build on prior proposals, such as the April 2025 push by AKT and NorthPoint Development to annex farmland into Sacramento city limits for urban development, amid debates over agricultural preservation.^[22] The family also maintains significant agricultural holdings through Conaway Preservation Group, LLC, which owns the 17,500-acre Conaway Ranch in Yolo County, emphasizing sustainable farming practices including rice production and water conservation collaborations, such as with the Zuckerberg Institute to reduce usage on the property.^[74][75] Leadership succession within the Tsakopoulos enterprises has transitioned to second-generation family members, ensuring continuity of the founder's vision. Chrysanthy Tsakopoulos Demos, daughter of Angelo Tsakopoulos, serves as President and CEO of AKT Investments Inc., a role she assumed following her father's stepping down, with a recent promotion affirmed in April 2025.^[76] Her brother, Kyriakos Tsakopoulos, acts as Co-Chair of AKT Investments alongside his father and as President and CEO of AKT Development Corp., positions he has held since at least 2009, overseeing day-to-day operations and strategic expansions.^[77][74] Kyriakos additionally leads Conaway Preservation Group as President and CEO, focusing on long-term stewardship of the ranch's agricultural and environmental assets.^[78] This familial structure underscores a multi-generational approach to managing the portfolio, blending development with preservation amid regulatory and market challenges.^[79]