THE LEDE
The Plan That Was Due, and the Plan That Showed Up Instead
June 16 came and went. The bankruptcy clock kept ticking, but Blackhawk Plaza’s owners answered a different question than the one everyone was asking.
Tuesday, June 16 was supposed to be the day Ramanujan Group told the bankruptcy court how it intends to dig Blackhawk Plaza out of Chapter 11. That was the 120-day deadline set back in March when the company filed for bankruptcy protection, and it is the date every Blackhawk watcher has had circled for weeks. As of this writing, there is no public reporting confirming whether a restructuring plan was actually filed, extended, or missed entirely. Bankruptcy attorneys have noted that this kind of deadline gets pushed more often than not, so the silence is not necessarily alarming. It is just unresolved.
What did surface this week was a different piece of paperwork. Contra Costa County quietly updated its Blackhawk Plaza FAQ page, the same page this newsletter has been citing all spring, and the update is not about the restructuring plan at all. It describes the property changing hands again, on paper, from one overseer to another.
Here is the short version, according to the county’s Blackhawk Plaza FAQ. Back in February, an Orange County judge appointed an independent receiver to run the plaza while the legal mess over unpaid loans got sorted out. Now that Ramanujan Group is in bankruptcy, the company has asked the court to approve a Chief Restructuring Officer, essentially an outside manager whose job is to keep the property stable while the case plays out. The county says that appointment has not been finalized yet but is expected soon, and once it happens, day-to-day control passes from the receiver to the CRO.
For anyone trying to keep score, this sounds like a lot of new titles attached to the same basic situation. It mostly is. The county’s page is careful to frame it as good news: the property manager, JLL, stays in place either way, so the people physically keeping the lights on and the parking lot swept are not changing. The explicit goal of both the receiver and the incoming CRO is to keep the plaza stable, safe, and operating while the lawyers do their work.
The county also repeated something it has said every time this topic comes up: zero applications have been filed to redevelop the site into housing, and none are expected while the property sits in receivership and bankruptcy at the same time. That has not stopped the redevelopment rumor mill, but for now it remains exactly that, a rumor with no paperwork behind it.
None of this resolves the question Issue 18 left open, which is what happens when the actual restructuring plan surfaces, whenever that turns out to be. It does tell you who is steering the ship in the meantime. We will keep watching the docket and the county’s page for whichever update comes first.
THE RUNDOWN
Danville Bowl’s Old Lot Gets a Name and a Timeline
The vacant lot at 200 Boone Court, where Danville Bowl spent more than 60 years before closing last spring, finally has a project attached to it. The Planning Commission approved a 47-unit townhome development called The Lanes back in late November, and demolition of the old bowling alley building is expected to begin sometime this year. The project includes two junior accessory dwelling units and a handful of below-market-rate units under the state’s density bonus law. Boone Court is also the same street where Lucky’s sits at the San Ramon Valley Boulevard end, the address this newsletter got wrong in Issue 16. Different building, same stretch of road, and we are being careful about it this time.
The Two Open Council Seats Now Have a Calendar
Danville’s town clerk has set the dates for what is shaping up to be the most consequential local election in years. The nomination period for November’s Town Council race opens Monday, July 13 and closes Friday, August 7, with a short extension to August 12 if a sitting council member misses the deadline. Two of the five council seats are up: Karen Stepper’s, after she announced in April she would not seek re-election following 24 years on the council, and Vice Mayor Robert Storer’s, who has not yet said whether he is running again. If Storer steps back too, this becomes the first election in recent memory with two open seats and zero incumbents on the ballot.
E-Bike Ordinance: What’s Left Before It’s Final
Issue 18 covered the Town Council’s first reading of the e-bike ordinance, which would bar riding in town parks and cap speeds at 15 miles per hour on trails. That vote passed 5-0 on June 16 after nearly three hours of public comment. One resident, Jenny Phillips, told the council she was hit by an e-bike four weeks earlier, leaving her with a broken and partially amputated finger, and that police could not cite the rider because the collision happened on a trail rather than a state road. Council member Renee Morgan pushed back on the framing during the meeting, arguing the real issue is rider behavior, not just speed, and that a speed cap alone may be hard to enforce. The piece still missing: the ordinance returns for a final vote July 7, and if it passes, the new rules take effect in August, in time for the start of the school year.
A Familiar Face Leaves SRVUSD for the Top Job Next Door
Jon Campopiano, SRVUSD’s executive director of secondary education and the former principal of Stone Valley Middle School in Alamo, has been named the next superintendent of the Walnut Creek School District. He takes over July 1, succeeding retiring superintendent Marie Morgan. Campopiano spent eight years in the SRVUSD district office after three years leading Stone Valley through its renovation. Earlier in his career he taught social studies and coached varsity basketball at Northgate High School in Walnut Creek before moving into administration. SRVUSD superintendent CJ Cammack called him a leader of the highest integrity. More on what this means for families in this week’s Family and Kids section.
FAMILY AND KIDS
A Local Name Takes the Top Job at a Neighboring District
If the name Jon Campopiano sounds familiar, it should. He has spent more than a decade in SRVUSD, first as principal of Stone Valley Middle School in Alamo, then for eight years as the district’s executive director of secondary education, a job that put him in regular contact with families across all thirteen of the district’s middle and high schools. Starting July 1, he takes over as superintendent of the Walnut Creek School District, a smaller district of about 3,600 students that includes Buena Vista Elementary, Tice Creek Elementary, and Walnut Creek Intermediate.
The move caps a search process that included nineteen community engagement sessions and nearly 300 survey responses before Campopiano emerged as the board’s pick. For SRVUSD families, especially those whose kids came through Stone Valley during his tenure there, it is the kind of transition worth knowing about even though it happens one district over. Local schools tend to share more than district lines suggest, from coaching connections to shared facilities to the simple fact that a lot of families know him personally.
SRVUSD has not yet announced who will step into Campopiano’s district office role. We will flag that update when it surfaces.
MEANWHILE, ON NEXTDOOR…
A weekly, anonymized roundup of what the neighborhood is actually talking about. Names and identifying details are removed.
THE BOARS ARE BACK A Blackhawk resident posted photos of wild boars near the open space behind their neighborhood, and the thread turned into a small referendum on what to do about them. Neighbors traded stories about boars tearing up landscaping years ago, debated whether they are native to California (they are not), and argued, half-seriously, about the best way to defend yourself on a hike. One commenter’s closing take was blunt: it is time to bring in serious firepower.
THE BURRITO WARS RESUME A downtown resident asked for the best burrito in Danville and got more than 40 comments for their trouble. Los Panchos has a passionate, divided fan base, some calling it the only correct answer in town, others saying it has not been the same since changing hands. Diablo Taqueria, Cielito, and a beloved taco truck that parks near the Grange each picked up their own loyalists. The general consensus from a few skeptics: Danville’s Mexican food plays it safe, so drive to Concord if you want something with more bite.
A BOBCAT MOVES INTO THE PLANTER BOX A Greenbrook resident shared photos of a bobcat that wandered out of a neighbor’s yard, crossed the street, hopped a fence, and settled into one of their planter boxes for the afternoon. The replies were almost entirely charmed, with neighbors calling it a beautiful animal and joking that it is the best rodent control money can’t buy. A side conversation broke out about coyotes being a bigger nuisance these days, plus one pointed remark about new construction pushing wildlife into backyards in the first place.
WHERE TO WATCH THE WORLD CUP A resident asked for sports bar recommendations for World Cup watch parties and the neighborhood delivered a full scouting report. Suggestions ranged from the usual downtown spots to a San Ramon movie theater that turns its bar area into a viewing room, plus newer names like a wine bar that just added a bigger screen and a Twin Creeks pizza spot offering deals during what one commenter called Hoppy Hour. If nothing else, no one in Danville needs to watch alone.
ONLY IN DANVILLE
Somewhere in the hills above Blackhawk this week, the most-discussed residents were not on the town council or in a courtroom. They were a sow and at least four piglets, spotted repeatedly near a creek bed off Canyon Oak, prompting one of the more entertaining Nextdoor threads in recent memory and a reminder that Danville shares its hillsides with neighbors who never RSVP to anything.
ON THE CALENDAR
Kiwanis 4th of July Parade | Saturday, July 4, 9 a.m. to noon, Downtown Danville. The 51st year of the parade, with SRVUSD serving as this year’s Grand Marshal. Streets close early, so plan to park on the outskirts and walk in.
Kidchella | Wednesday, July 22, 11:15 a.m. story time and noon concert, Danville Library and Town Green. A free, low-key way to spend a summer morning with younger kids, with story time followed by live music from the Banana Slug String Band and crafts after.
More Than a Line | Opens Friday, July 10, reception 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Village Theatre Art Gallery. A new exhibition built entirely around what a single line can do. Worth a stop downtown even if you are not usually a gallery person.
THE NUMBER
47
The number of townhomes planned for the old Danville Bowl site at 200 Boone Court, where the bowling alley spent more than 60 years before closing last year. Demolition is expected to start sometime this year.
FINAL THOUGHT
Between the boars, the bobcat, and a shopping center that has now had a receiver, a judge, and a not-yet-appointed Chief Restructuring Officer all in the same calendar year, it has been a good week to remember that Danville is, at heart, still a town built in the hills, and the hills have opinions of their own.
THE SIDELINE
The Sideline is on its summer hiatus and will return in August when fall sports practice begins. See you at the games.
The Danville Dispatch is an independent, reader-supported newsletter covering Danville, California. We are not affiliated with the Town of Danville, SRVUSD, or any organization mentioned above. Got a tip? Reply to this email.