THE LEDE
Blackhawk Plaza's Deadline Is Here. Now What?
Five days. That is what stands between Blackhawk Plaza's owner and the moment the bankruptcy court expected a real plan.
When Ramanujan Group filed for Chapter 11 protection on March 18, it bought itself time. Exactly 120 days, to be precise. That window is built into federal bankruptcy law for single-asset real estate cases and gives a debtor a structured chance to figure out a path forward. That 120-day clock runs out on Tuesday, June 16.
The question Blackhawk tenants, Danville residents, and Contra Costa County officials have been watching is simple: what, if anything, will Ramanujan Group file?
Under the Chapter 11 framework, the owner has a few options. It can file a reorganization plan, a formal document explaining how it intends to emerge from bankruptcy, satisfy creditors, and keep the property. It can request an extension, which courts sometimes grant when a debtor can show progress. Or it can fail to act, in which case creditors gain the right to propose their own plan or push for conversion to a Chapter 7 liquidation, which would effectively end the restructuring and put the property on track for a sale.
The debt picture is not encouraging. Ramanujan Group owes approximately $36 million across two lenders: a $31 million loan from Preferred Bank and a $5 million loan from Nano Banc. The company purchased the plaza for $38.3 million in 2020. It currently owes more on it than it is likely worth on the open market, given the vacancy rates and deferred maintenance that have accumulated since. A coalition of tenants sued last year alleging that the owner had ignored crumbling parking lots, broken light stanchions, and rusted railings. PG&E is owed over $112,000 in unpaid utility bills.
Meanwhile, the property's day-to-day management has been in transition. Following the Chapter 11 filing, the court agreed to appoint a Chief Restructuring Officer, an independent manager whose job is to stabilize operations and protect the property's value while the legal process plays out. Contra Costa County's dedicated Blackhawk Plaza information page, maintained by Supervisor Candace Andersen's office, called this appointment "welcome news," noting that the CRO's explicit goal is to keep the plaza stable and operational regardless of what happens in the courtroom.
What the CRO cannot do is resolve the underlying math. The plaza still needs a creditor deal or a buyer. Apple Cinemas pulled out of its planned theater in January, citing ownership uncertainty. Draeger's closed. The businesses that remain, including Blue Sakana, the Blackhawk Automotive Museum, and a handful of others, have been watching this unfold for months with no clear sense of what comes next.
Supervisor Andersen's office has maintained that no applications to redevelop the site as housing have been filed, and that any such redevelopment would require full county planning review. Her FAQ page at contracosta.ca.gov continues to be the most reliable source for updates as they happen.
By the time this issue lands in your inbox, Tuesday's deadline will be five days away. The Dispatch will track whatever gets filed, or does not.
THE RUNDOWN
FBI Raids the Contra Costa Assessor's Office
Tuesday morning, FBI agents served three federal search warrants simultaneously: at the Contra Costa County Assessor's office in Martinez, at the home of outgoing Assessor Gus Kramer, and at the home of his recently elected successor, Assistant Assessor Vince Robb. The agency confirmed the warrants were part of an ongoing investigation but declined to provide details. A copy of the search warrant obtained by the East Bay Times cited wire fraud and "other offenses."
Kramer, who has held the office for 32 years across eight terms, announced his retirement in March and will leave in December. Robb won 68 percent of the vote in the June 2 primary and is set to take over in January. Both men denied wrongdoing. Kramer called the raid a "fishing expedition." Robb said agents showed up at 7 a.m., seized his phone and laptops, and handcuffed his children during the search.
The county assessor's office determines the taxable value of every property in Contra Costa County, which means this investigation touches the foundation of how property taxes are calculated for every Danville homeowner. The Board of Supervisors said it is exploring options to protect the assessment process, though its authority over an elected official is limited. The investigation is ongoing.
SRVUSD Budget Vote: Tuesday, June 16
The San Ramon Valley Unified School District board is scheduled to vote Tuesday evening on adopting its budget for the 2026-27 school year, the same day, incidentally, as the Blackhawk bankruptcy deadline. Chief Business Officer Danny Hillman, who is departing the district, is presenting his final proposed budget. The board is also expected to appoint his successor that same evening.
The budget carries what district staff describe as "glimmers of hope": the $24 million in cuts approved last year, combined with increased state revenues, should eliminate deficit spending for the next two years, a meaningful shift after years of structural shortfalls. The caveat is that California's state budget has not been finalized. Any trailer bills passed before Governor Newsom's June 30 deadline could require adjustments in July or August. The board meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the district office. The full agenda is available at srvusd.net.
St. Timothy's Wants Its Preschool Back
More than six years after COVID forced the closure of its on-site preschool, St. Timothy's Episcopal Church in Danville has asked the Town's Planning Commission to allow it to reopen the program at its premises. The church was before the commission this week seeking the necessary approvals to bring back a service that was part of the congregation's community presence for years before the pandemic shut it down.
Danville has a limited supply of quality preschool options close to downtown, and families who remember St. Timothy's program will find this welcome news. A planning commission approval does not guarantee an immediate reopening, but it clears the regulatory path.
Mark Your Calendar: Town Council Nominations Open July 13
For the first time in years, Danville's Town Council race will be genuinely open. Councilmember Karen Stepper announced in April that she will not seek re-election after 24 years of service, including five terms as mayor. Her seat, along with Vice Mayor Robert Storer's, is up for grabs in the November 3 general election.
That means two seats on the five-member council will be decided by voters this fall, and one of them has no incumbent. The nomination period opens Monday, July 13, and closes Friday, August 7. Anyone interested in running has about seven weeks to get organized. Details and required paperwork are available through the City Clerk's office at danville.ca.gov.
FAMILY AND KIDS
What the SRVUSD Budget Vote Actually Means for Families
The Tuesday vote matters, but the honest answer for families is: the picture will not be fully clear until late summer. Here is what is actually known right now.
The $24 million in cuts from last year have already been implemented. World language teaching positions were reduced. Counseling and support staff were trimmed. Those changes are baked in. What the new budget is supposed to reflect is whether those cuts, combined with better-than-expected state revenue, have put the district on solid footing going forward. According to district staff, the answer is yes. For at least the next two fiscal years, deficit spending should stop.
The asterisk is Sacramento. California's state budget passes June 30, and trailer bills that follow can shift education funding in either direction. District staff have said they will bring any necessary adjustments back to the board in July or August. If you have questions about specific programs, the best move is to contact your school directly now rather than waiting for fall.
Kidchella Returns Next Wednesday
The Town's free summer music series for kids kicks off Wednesday, June 17. The format: story time at the Danville Library at 11:15 a.m., followed by a live performance on the Town Green at noon. First up is Purple Fox and the Heebie Jeebies. A second Kidchella is scheduled for July 22 with the Banana Slug String Band. Both events are free and designed for children up to age 10. The full summer lineup is at danville.ca.gov/summer.
MEANWHILE, ON NEXTDOOR…
A weekly roundup of the conversations, concerns, and characters keeping the neighborhood group chats alive. All posts anonymized and summarized.
THE HILLS ARE ON FIRE WATCH AND IT'S NOT AN ACCIDENT. A resident posted a fire risk map showing the area in the highest-risk pink zone and used it to deliver a full ecology lecture: the East Bay foothills are dominated by invasive annual grasses, primarily wild oat, that replaced native perennial grasses after centuries of cattle ranching. Perennials store water in their root systems; annuals dry out and burn. The poster included photos of what our hills look like versus what they used to look like, including a photo of the Carrizo Plain superbloom as a reference point, and offered to help neighbors convert their yards to native species. The thread got surprisingly substantive, with a discussion of prescribed burns, EBRPD's cattle leasing revenue, and the feasibility of reintroducing elk. The poster also admitted, as a teenager, to buying fireworks in Dublin and lighting them off in San Ramon area tunnels. He did not start a fire. He still has all his fingers.
SOMEONE ASKED WHAT MOVIES ARE GOOD RIGHT NOW AND FORTY PEOPLE ANSWERED. A neighbor posted that she and her 89-year-old father were running out of things to watch at the theater. The thread generated a genuine community viewing guide, with strong consensus around a few current titles, a recommendation to try The Vine in Livermore for vintage screenings, one person suggesting they just stay home and watch My Cousin Vinny with cheaper popcorn, and a suggestion that Spielberg's new film about government extraterrestrial cover-ups was worth seeing. The original poster thanked everyone. The conversation was warmer than most things on the internet.
A DOWNTOWN DANVILLE RESIDENT HAD A QUESTION ABOUT CAN DEPOSITS AND IT ESCALATED. A neighbor, describing himself as a landlord with 500 tenants, wondered why California's bottle deposit is not carried as a long-term liability on the state's books the way a security deposit would be. The question attracted two accountants, a retired glass container industry professional who worked in the business since 1982, at least one person who just said "Goes to Gavin," and a lengthy thread on whether it is a tax in disguise, what the actual redemption rate is, and why the deposit was set low enough that 30 to 40 percent of it is never claimed. Someone eventually told everyone to look it up on calrecycle.ca.gov. Someone else suggested asking ChatGPT and moving on. Nobody did.
A CAR WENT OVER THE COSTCO EMBANKMENT. A neighbor shared a photo of a vehicle that had cleared a parking lot embankment and landed on the car below it, with police already on scene. The thread immediately divided into two factions: people diagnosing the cause (gas/brake confusion was the leading theory) and people making jokes. "The embankment was at fault" received ten likes. "Rushing back with a massive toilet roll stash" also performed well.
ONLY IN DANVILLE
The Sewer District Is Turning 80 and Throwing a Party
The Central Contra Costa Sanitary District, better known as Central San, turns 80 this year, and it is marking the occasion with a community open house this Saturday billed as "a once-in-a-decade sewer party." The event is intended to give residents a look inside operations that most people only think about when something goes wrong.
There is something genuinely charming about a sewer district with enough institutional self-awareness to lean into the joke and invite the public in anyway. Central San serves Danville among other communities, and if you have ever wondered what actually happens after water goes down your drain, this is your chance to find out at no cost and presumably without any unpleasant surprises.
ON THE CALENDAR
Kidchella | Wednesday, June 17 | Danville Library & Town Green Story time at 11:15 a.m., live music from Purple Fox and the Heebie Jeebies at noon. Free, all ages welcome, designed for kids up to 10. Stick around after for arts and crafts.
Moonlight Movies: Cool Runnings | Friday, June 19 | Danville Town Green The summer outdoor movie series kicks off with the 1993 classic. Games and activities begin at 6:30 p.m.; the film starts at 8 p.m. or when the light cooperates. Free admission. Bring a blanket and skip the $19 theater popcorn.
Danville Farmers' Market | Every Saturday | Railroad Avenue, Downtown Danville Running through the season. Morning hours, local produce, worth making a habit of it.
THE NUMBER
$36,000,000
The total secured debt Blackhawk Plaza's owner is carrying into this week's restructuring deadline, split between a $31 million loan from Preferred Bank and $5 million from Nano Banc. For context, Ramanujan Group purchased the property for $38.3 million in 2020. Six years later, it owes nearly as much as it paid, on a property that is considerably less valuable than it was then.
FINAL THOUGHT
Tuesday brings Blackhawk's deadline, the SRVUSD budget vote, and the official start of summer. June 16 is doing a lot this year. We'll see what it delivers.
THE SIDELINE
The Sideline is taking a summer break. High school sports seasons have wrapped up, and we'll be back in August when fall practice schedules kick off: football two-a-days, cross country, volleyball. See you on the other side of summer.
The Danville Dispatch is an independent local newsletter. Published weekly. To subscribe, visit thedanvilledispatch.com.
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