THE LEDE
The Hemp Shop That Divided Danville
Jeff Sutherland spent three years building a business on Hartz Avenue that most neighbors probably walked past without a second thought. America's Finest Hemp Company sold CBD products: tinctures, topicals, the kind of thing marketed for sleep and inflammation and anxiety. Not cannabis. Hemp. There is a legal difference, and for a long time that distinction is what allowed him to operate in a town that, like most affluent Bay Area suburbs, had never permitted a cannabis retailer.
Then California changed the rules. Assembly Bill 8, signed in 2024, pulled hemp products into the same regulatory category as cannabis, treating the two as equivalent. When it took effect last fall, Sutherland had no legal path forward under Danville's existing ordinance. America's Finest Hemp Company closed its doors in October.
That would be the end of it, except Sutherland wanted his store back. He has been petitioning the town for a way to reopen ever since. The Town Council held a study session on the question in January and returned for another one on February 17. The issue before them is not simple: letting a hemp shop reopen would require updating Danville's zoning in ways that could, by legal logic, also open the door to full cannabis retail. The town has never permitted cannabis sales. The council has to decide whether it is willing to even have that conversation.
The Nextdoor thread attached to a DanvilleSanRamon.com article on the topic pulled in 160 comments and counting. It is a genuine community argument, not just an internet argument. The skeptics worry about crime, property values, and what any relaxation of the rules signals about the town. The supporters point out that Danville has 100 active liquor licenses and zero cannabis permits, and find that math a little difficult to defend in 2026. Sutherland himself showed up in the thread to make his case, arguing that the product, the customer base, and the regulatory environment have all changed: the conversation, he wrote, should be about transparency and responsible local control, not outdated stigma.
The most pragmatic observation in the whole thread came from a commenter who noted that delivery services are already thriving in the Tri-Valley, meaning the tax revenue from local purchases is flowing directly to other cities. Danville is not actually preventing consumption. It is just declining to collect any benefit from it.
The council has not scheduled a vote. They are still in study session mode, which is either careful deliberation or prolonged procrastination, depending on how you feel about where this should end up.
THE RUNDOWN
Blackhawk Update: The Theater Is Not Coming Back
In a statement released February 3, Apple Cinemas said that "uncertainty surrounding the ownership structure" of Blackhawk Plaza made it impossible to move forward with its planned theater. The East Coast chain had been under contract to reopen the former Century Theatres space since 2023, had posted construction updates throughout 2025, and announced a planned summer opening before repeatedly postponing. Now it is gone entirely.
This is a direct consequence of what was covered here last week: with two lenders in default proceedings against the Ramanujan Group and the property's financial future unresolved, no prospective tenant with options is going to commit. The remaining tenants are in an increasingly uncomfortable waiting game. The theater has been dark for more than three years.
A Four-Story Apartment Complex Is Set to Replace Part of Town & Country
The Danville Planning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the 200-unit, four-story apartment complex at the Village Shopping Center on Town and Country Drive. Blake Griggs Properties will demolish three commercial buildings, including El Nido Restaurant and Danville Music, while retaining the Fitness 19 gym. The commission added two conditions beyond staff's recommendation: a requirement that the town's Design Review Board explore preserving heritage redwood trees at the northwest driveway and south entry before any removal proceeds, and a deed restriction preventing the commercial portion from being split off as a separate parcel in the future. The project is exempt from environmental review under state housing law. Town staff previously predicted it would be appealed to the Town Council before construction begins.
Dog Park and Fields Reopen Saturday
Quick reminder: the Hap Magee Dog Park and the town's natural grass sports fields both reopen this Saturday, February 28, weather permitting. The dog park remains closed Tuesdays until noon for maintenance.
Monte Vista Boys Basketball: Good Run, Hard Ending
The Monte Vista Mustangs' postseason run ended Thursday night in a 64-62 loss to No. 3 seed Granada in the NCS Division 1 quarterfinals. The Mustangs had beaten Alameda 50-47 in the first round and finished 17-11 overall. It was a competitive year in a league where five EBAL teams finished tied at 5-4. For the seniors in that locker room Thursday, it was a good year.
FAMILY & KIDS
An Update on the School Budget, and What Happened Wednesday
Last week this newsletter ran a full breakdown of SRVUSD's financial situation: the $26 million in cuts, the 190-plus positions eliminated, the county's "qualified" status designation, the $25 million projected deficit. If you missed it, it is worth going back to (Issue No. 1).
The update this week: Superintendent CJ Cammack held his community presentation on Wednesday, February 19, and his message to parents was direct. This is a structural problem with California's school funding formula, not a local management failure. The district sits in the bottom 4 percent statewide for per-pupil funding, and Cammack is pushing Sacramento for changes. He asked parents to stay engaged. School board meetings are Tuesdays at 6 p.m. at 699 Old Orchard Drive, open to the public and livestreamed on the district's YouTube channel.
Spring Sports: Fields Open Saturday
Natural grass fields reopen February 28. For families with kids in spring sports that run on turf, outdoor practices can finally start this weekend, weather cooperating.
MEANWHILE, ON NEXTDOOR…
A weekly roundup of the conversations, concerns, and characters keeping the neighborhood group chats alive. All posts anonymized and summarized.
THE GHOSTS OF HALLOWEEN PRESENT.
A Diablo Hacienda resident informed neighbors this week that he still has life-size ghouls and zombies in his front yard, has no intention of removing them, and invoked both the founding fathers and the current administration in defense of this position. When someone suggested moving the decorations to the backyard, he clarified that he cannot do that because he is personally frightened of ghosts. Multiple neighbors attempted to work through the logic with him. The HOA has been notified and is expected to weigh in. One commenter offered to arrive by broomstick for a conversation. The ghouls remain.
THE CHECK IS IN THE MAIL. WAS.
A Twin Creeks South resident shared a story that should function as a public service announcement: he left his property tax payment in the curbside mailbox Saturday afternoon, someone took it before the carrier arrived, chemically washed the check, and had it cashed before Monday morning. The thread drew 47 comments, almost all variations on "pay online." The practical consensus: use the county's free eCheck portal for property taxes, write checks in gel pen if you must write them, and never put the flag up on outgoing mail. That flag is, evidently, a signal.
SOMEONE STOLE THE ROCKS.
A San Ramon resident came home to find her decorative landscaping rocks gone, taken in broad daylight. Neighbors quickly supplied the backstory: there are documented reports across the area of people stealing retaining wall blocks and landscape stones to use as improvised jack stands when stealing car tires and catalytic converters. One neighbor posted a photo of paper plates left under a nearby car. The advice was consistent: report it to police so individual thefts can be connected into a larger investigation. Wheel locks were also heavily recommended.
THE FAKE NEXTDOOR EMPLOYEE.
A Gale Ranch resident asked neighbors this week whether someone named "Eric Bauer" claiming to be from Nextdoor was legitimate, since he had messaged asking for a credit card number to verify the account. Twenty-seven neighbors confirmed, at varying decibels, that it is a scam. The thread also produced one heroic responder who announced, completely deadpan, that he had provided his credit card details, his bank account number, and the verification text code, and was now on his way to a branch to sort out why he could no longer access his account. Several neighbors took him entirely seriously. The original poster had not given out any information and had already reported the account to Nextdoor.
ONLY IN DANVILLE
Exactly 81% of the Time, Per the Algorithm
A Vista Tassajara resident posted this week to complain that the Bollinger Road Safeway regularly stocks expired items, and that she receives expired products in delivery orders at a rate she calculated as "81% of the time." When a neighbor asked how she arrived at that specific figure, she replied: "I made it up on the spot, just like 98.9% of other statistics." The thread ran to 45 comments, covering expired bacon, the philosophical difference between "use by" and "best by," and whether Trader Joe's actually does any better. The algorithm stands unchallenged.
ON THE CALENDAR
State of the Town Luncheon | March 25, 11:30 a.m., Crow Canyon Country Club
Mayor Newell Arnerich delivers the Annual State of the Town address alongside the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce. If you want to hear directly from the mayor about what is in progress and what is coming, this is the room to be in. Registration is required by March 5. Tickets at danvilleareachamber.com.
The 39 Steps | Opens March 6, Village Theatre
Mentioned last issue, worth a reminder now that it is opening week: four actors, more than 100 characters, a Hitchcock adaptation built around physical comedy and rapid costume changes. Performances run every weekend through March 29.
Lend a Hand Day | April 25, Town of Danville
The town is looking for volunteers to provide yardwork assistance to local seniors: raking, weeding, mulching, the kind of work that becomes genuinely hard to manage alone. Three shifts are available. Sign up at danville.ca.gov/volunteer before spots fill.
THE NUMBER
100
Active liquor licenses in Danville, per California's licensing database. The number of permitted cannabis retail locations in Danville: zero. This math came up repeatedly in the 160-comment thread about the hemp shop. It did not settle the argument, but it sharpened it.
FINAL THOUGHT
The hemp shop is closed, the grocery store is closing, the theater gave up, and they might put apartments where El Nido used to be. Meanwhile, a man in Diablo Hacienda has life-size ghouls in his yard, is frightened of them, and has no plans to move them. Some people just know what matters.
THE SIDELINE
High school sports coverage for Monte Vista and San Ramon Valley.
SRV Girls Are Going Back to the NCS Finals
The San Ramon Valley girls basketball team is heading to the NCS Open Division championship game after dismantling No. 4 seed Clayton Valley Charter 74-44 in Tuesday night's semifinal. The Wolves, the top seed at 24-3, were never threatened.
Saturday's final puts SRV in position to defend the Open Division title they won last March in historic fashion, beating top-seeded Acalanes by 33 points in the championship game, a performance coach John Cristiano called the greatest in program history. A win would make this program back-to-back champions for the first time. They'll face Carondelet at Dublin High. Alyssa Rudd, Ella Gunderson, Kaitlyn Mills, and Hania Bowes are the names to know.
Also worth noting: Monte Vista wrestler Trevor Economos won the NCS championship at 150 pounds this past weekend, beating Granada's Charlie Herrington 7-4 in the final at James Logan. That is a title, full stop.
The Danville Dispatch is an independent community newsletter. Every fact is verified before publication. Tips, corrections, and story ideas are always welcome.