COUNTYWIDE : Talk of O’Neill Bid for Ranch Dismissed

A South County ranch seized in a 1985 drug raid is probably worth several million dollars, officials said Thursday, abruptly dismissing suggestions that a local real estate magnate might consider offering $1 million for it.

South County rancher Richard J. O’Neill, one of the county’s richest men, briefly toyed with the idea of buying Rancho del Rio, according to people close to him. But he has never broached the topic with county officials. Moreover, his ballpark figure of $900,000 to $1 million is far below what the county hopes to get for the 213-acre property.

“We’re talking about a lot more money than that,” Supervisor Thomas F. Riley said. “We wouldn’t be making all this effort if it were only worth $1 million.”

Associates and relatives of O’Neill said Thursday that while he has discussed the idea of trying to buy the ranch, he has never seriously entertained the notion.

“Sure we’re concerned about this land,” Anthony R. Moiso, president of the Santa Margarita Co. and O’Neill’s nephew, said through a spokeswoman. “But as far as having any real interest in buying it, no. There’s nothing: no deal, no discussions, nothing.”

The ranch, which sits on Orange County’s eastern border, abuts land owned by the O’Neill family.

Both O’Neill and Moiso are close business and personal associates of Sheriff Brad Gates, and O’Neill has entertained the idea of buying the land and letting the sheriff use it for a narcotics enforcement training center.

In a public disclosure statement filed April 2, Gates listed himself as a partner in Creekside Equestrian Limited, a San Juan Capistrano real estate development firm. Gates is also secretary of and a stockholder in the Creekside Equestrian Center, which will be built at a South County site.

O’Neill and Moiso are both investors in the equestrian center, and Gates’ disclosure statement indicates that he received between $1,001 and $10,000 last year for “administrative services” at the center.