Happy Tuesday, and welcome to another edition of Rent Free.
For some time in February this year, I was camped out in an Airbnb in Oakland, California, shadowing James Jacobs, founder of ASAP Squatter Removal, as he went about his work of reclaiming properties from squatters with his trusty katana.
It was a fascinating story to report out, and one that involved being in slightly dicier situations than this housing and zoning reporter is typically used to. The experience taught me a lot about the extreme edges of California’s housing crisis and the limits of what Reason will allow me to expense for a story. (Body armor, yes. A sword, no.)…