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• Reaping rewards

• Galt fireworks-stand damaged, other incidents mar holiday fun

• Six months after burglary, elderly woman is ID theft victim

• Regional Roundup

November 21st, 2009

• Logbook

• Holiday drive spreads cheer to U.S. troops

• Galt High students want board to approve open-campus policy

• Poisoning victims remain hospitalized

• Expert: Half a mushroom cap can be deadly

• Tokay grad files claim over Lodi's Grape Bowl

• Lodi Middle School holds annual Turkey Trot

• Regional Roundup

• No motive or suspect in shooting

• Sacramento cop arrested for alleged kidnapping

November 20th, 2009

• Acampo woman killed

• Salvation Army Kettle Kickoff

• Advocacy groups sue East Bay Municipal Utility District over Pardee expansion

• Regional Roundup

• Galt plans to help residents with energy-efficient projects

• Stable southeast of Lodi approved

• One year after a heart attack, Lodi's Judy Mims thanks rescuers

• National Guard troops return home in time for the holidays

• Real estate market gets on more solid ground

November 19th, 2009

• Operation: Christmas

• Logbook

• Suspect arrested after hiding in fridge

• Chase ends in crash

• Galt Joint Union High School Distric hires new superintendent

• Sales tax hike yields dividends: 5 new officers join Galt Police

• Lodi Unified School District board votes to cancel summer school for 2010

• Water surges in Mokelumne River yield more salmon

• Lodi City Council will consider redevelopment next June

• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22

• Corrections

November 18th, 2009

• Regional Roundup

• Paranormal group conducts second investigation of building

• Congress allocates money for local water projects

• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react

• Lodi man finds wife's ashes during police display of stolen property

• Galt City Council rejects study on rent stabilization

November 17th, 2009

• Paying tribute to a Lodian

• Lodi Budget and Finance Committee to look into ways to save money on employee benefits

• Regional Roundup

• Decision on summer school expected at tonight's Lodi Unified School District meeting

• Clements gets free water rescue boat

• Redevelopment to be discussed by Lodi City Council again

• Court reinstates death penalty for killer of Lodi grad

• Clarification

November 16th, 2009

• Correction

• Public Meetings

• City Council 'triple-dog dared' to ditch cars, use Lodi buses

• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi

• Lodi's First Sip event showcases area wineries' latest vintages

• Three members of Lodi-area family fall ill after eating poisonous mushrooms they reportedly found at Lodi Lake

• Regional Roundup

November 14th, 2009

• Galt school district narrows superintendent search to one

• Regional Roundup

• Despite budget cuts, some Lodi Unified School District salaries continue to rise

• Watchful neighbor in Lodi helped bust suspected burglars

• New Galt city manager juggles job, family

• Despite an increase in homeless students, school districts look to bolster enrollment, raise revenue

• A first look at 2009 vintages at Lodi's First Sip wine-tasting event

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• The country's mess is our fault (166)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (72)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (50)
• Public health care is a Christian option (31)
• The haves should help the have-nots (30)
• Tokay in, traveling to unbeaten No. 3 Grant for football playoffs (25)
• Government-run health care is a bad idea (18)
• Young woman fatally shot at Acampo home (17)
• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi (16)

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Reaping rewards

Steve Coldani an active contributor to Lodi community

When he starts his day, Steve Coldani dons work boots and jeans to help out at his family's farm.

By the end of his day, the Lodi resident is selling commercial real estate from his office overlooking Lake Mallard.

Coldani has been a Realtor for 31 years in the office his father founded, and he's been in the news twice this year — for joining the Community Business Bank board of directors and for having his Lodi High School high jump record broken by junior Ray Nikzat, who went on to compete at the state track meet.

Coldani, 54, is a third-generation San Joaquin County resident. His grandfather, Richard Coldani, was a farmer who settled in Stockton from his native Italy. His father, Ray Coldani, founded Coldani Realtors in 1959 and taught his son the real estate and farming business.

Ray Coldani, now 82, doesn't practice real estate much anymore, but he still has an active license.

Steve Coldani enjoyed his father's dual careers and followed in his footsteps.

"You get married, and you've got to make a living," he said, explaining why he is also in real estate.

As time went on, Coldani grew to enjoy real estate because of the satisfaction of helping people buy property.

"It's the largest transaction anybody will ever make," he said. "It's real nice to help them. There are a lot of rewards there."

Coldani's practice focuses on investment, commercial and industrial property, he said from his conference room which overlooks Lake Mallard south of Kettleman Lane. He'll also help a client find property in other parts of California.

Realtor Steve Coldani speaks about his career Thursday morning at his office over looking Lake Mallard in Lodi. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

He doesn't venture into the residential real estate market too much in Lodi, although he and his business partners, Dan and Leah West, sell homes in Graeagle, Plumas County, which has several golf courses.

"Where else (but on a golf course) is there 200 acres of lawn and somebody else takes care of it?" Coldani said.

Coldani also stays busy on the family ranch, where he and his dad have planted about 100 acres of olives. Their first harvest will be next year, and they plan to sell olive oil on the retail market. They also have more than 1,500 acres of row crops and beef cattle.

Despite his success and extensive community involvement, Coldani is an unassuming person who gives others credit for his success — his father, his coaches at Lodi High and his two fellow dissidents when Bank of Lodi was in turmoil four years ago.

"Yeah that's Steve; he's a very humble man," said Chad Meyer, Community Business Bank's senior executive vice president and chief administrative officer.

Coldani's business ventures stem from long-term friendships; Dan West was his roommate at University of the Pacific in Stockton. And Coldani recently joined the board at Community Business Bank because of his friendship with Meyer, who he's known since grade school.

Coldani and Meyer played together on the Lodi High basketball team, where Coldani was a guard and Meyer was a tall center.

"My duty was to get the ball to Chad," Coldani said of his high school basketball days.

Meyer deflected credit right back to Coldani.

"He was a great basketball player," Meyer said.

In addition to his ties with Meyer, Coldani said he joined the Community Business Bank board because of its quick growth since it was formed in November 2005.

Meyer was involved with Yolo Community Bank in Woodland, but it was sold in 2004 to North Valley Bank, so Meyer left the bank and formed Community Business Bank with a single office in West Sacramento. But a second branch was opened in Lodi. Other Lodi-area board members include William Lappas, founder of Woodbridge Capital Partners; Bill Stokes, a vineyardist from Thornton; and Stockton attorney William Parish, who lives in Lodi.

Community Business Bank focuses on business customers.

"Banks now have to focus on certain areas and be real good at it," Coldani said.

Coldani previously sat on the board of Bank of Lodi, which was involved in inner turmoil before being sold to Placer Sierra Bank in 2004 and this year to Wells Fargo Bank.

He was one of three major dissidents with Angelo Anagnos and Kevin Van Steenberge, who were vocal in their disdain four how the bank was being run. They were kicked off the board in 2003.

The three accused Bank of Lodi leaders at the time for "lack of leadership" and for using "intimidating tactics" toward them. The bank was also accused of having financial numbers that were lower than similar banks, and top management's salaries were too high, they said.

Rather than focus on his role fighting Bank of Lodi, Coldani gave credit to his partners, Van Steenberge and Anagnos, whom he described as "two outstanding guys."

"He's not the kind to go pick fights," Meyer said. "He's also not the type of person to run away from something he knows is wrong. Whether it's difficult taking a stand is not part of the equation."

This year, Coldani was busy watching his Lodi High school high jump record being broken by Ray Nikzat, who jumped 6 feet, 8 inches and qualified for the state track meet this year. Nikzat broke Coldani's record of 6 feet, 53/4 inches, set in 1972.

Although he was a great track athlete, Coldani naturally gave credit to his coaches — Steve Scott, Jim Sowers and, of course, his dad.

Coldani lives in Lodi with his wife Jeanne. They have two children: Michael, a realtor at Coldani Realtors, and daughter Gina, who lives in San Diego.

Not only does son Michael work in the family real estate office, but so does Jeanne Coldani. So what's her title?

"Maybe the boss," her husband quipped.

Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.