The State - News from Dec. 26, 1986

An order of Catholic priests revised 30-day eviction notices sent to tenants of a 10-unit hilltop apartment building in Oakland, giving the dismayed renters up to 90 days to leave. Father Lawrence Burke, dean of the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, went to the building and told tenants that the priests “never meant to be insensitive, but we should have realized that the situation was not as cut and dried or as automatic as we thought.” The Southern Province of Dominicans--an order of Catholic priests--bought the building this month for $768,000 to house students attending the Berkeley school. The sale was completed quickly because of pending changes in the tax law. Notices were sent out last week informing the tenants they had until Jan. 19 to vacate. Most of the tenants had no idea the building had been sold. Burke said Wednesday that tenants will have up to three months to move and he also offered financial assistance. “Our students will even physically move those who need it,” he said. The apartment building sits atop a hill overlooking Lake Merritt and boasts a spectacular view of Oakland, San Francisco and the bay.