diff --git a/misc/dashboard/codereview/dashboard/cl.go b/misc/dashboard/codereview/dashboard/cl.go
index a77028994c..bafef439bd 100644
--- a/misc/dashboard/codereview/dashboard/cl.go
+++ b/misc/dashboard/codereview/dashboard/cl.go
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ import (
 
 	"appengine"
 	"appengine/datastore"
-	"appengine/delay"
 	"appengine/mail"
 	"appengine/taskqueue"
 	"appengine/urlfetch"
@@ -105,8 +104,6 @@ func (cl *CL) ModifiedAgo() string {
 	return "just now"
 }
 
-var sendMailLater = delay.Func("send-mail", mail.Send)
-
 func handleAssign(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	c := appengine.NewContext(r)
 
@@ -196,7 +193,9 @@ func handleAssign(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 				}
 				// TODO(dsymonds): Use cl.LastMessageID as the In-Reply-To header
 				// when the appengine/mail package supports that.
-				sendMailLater.Call(c, msg)
+				if err := mail.Send(c, msg); err != nil {
+					c.Errorf("mail.Send: %v", err)
+				}
 			}
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/misc/dashboard/codereview/dashboard/mail.go b/misc/dashboard/codereview/dashboard/mail.go
index a4bf1ac3e2..7d91078443 100644
--- a/misc/dashboard/codereview/dashboard/mail.go
+++ b/misc/dashboard/codereview/dashboard/mail.go
@@ -45,6 +45,12 @@ func handleMail(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		if err != nil && err != datastore.ErrNoSuchEntity {
 			return err
 		}
+		if err == datastore.ErrNoSuchEntity {
+			// Must set sentinel values for time.Time fields
+			// if this is a new entity.
+			cl.Created = time.Unix(0, 0)
+			cl.Modified = time.Unix(0, 0)
+		}
 		cl.LastMessageID = msg.Header.Get("Message-ID")
 		_, err = datastore.Put(c, key, cl)
 		return err