Matthew Fleming

Blog

Learn how poorly California students scored on the latest national literacy test

Low Adult Literacy Screams for Science-of-Reading Instruction in Schools

The United States ranks 36th in the world at a 79% literacy rate, which is quite terrible considering the US’s status as one of the most developed nations in the world. “Developed nations consistently boast adult literacy rates of 96% or higher, while the least developed countries struggle with an ...
Blog

Ranked Choice Voting does nothing to improve local elections

Ranked Choice Voting does nothing to improve local elections By Matthew Fleming | November 5, 2024 A recent social media post by a San Francisco mayoral candidate announcing his political strategy for the city’s ranked-choice voting inadvertently highlights why ranked-choice voting is silly. Approved by San Francisco voters in 2002, RCV ...
Blog

Does Oakland show any hope of exiting its doom loop?

Does Oakland show any hope of exiting its doom loop? by Matthew Fleming | August 30, 2024 Even before FBI agents raided the home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao in late June, it was safe to wonder: What the heck is wrong with Oakland? Defenders of the city point to ...
Blog

Read the latest on California's homeless crisis

Is drop in Sacramento homelessness a fluke or trend?

Officials reported a 29% decrease in overall homelessness in 2024 compared to 2022. But this coincides with a change in methodology in how people were counted, as well as a discrepancy between the count and what local nonprofits are finding on the ground. And one year does not make a ...
Blog

Patronage or problem solving? San Fran debates its proliferation of iffy commissions

Patronage or problem solving? San Fran debates its proliferation of iffy commissions Matthew Fleming  |  July 18, 2024 History of SF’s myriad commissions The first 21 commissions were founded in 1898 with the city and county charter, but the list has ballooned to 115 today for the city of around ...
Blog

Read about latest push for rent control

Even as rents fall, progressives push local rent controls

These local measures usually come with a tough cap on rent increases, as well as the creation of a new board of bureaucrats to monitor rents while diverting millions of dollars from other core city services. While local measures have fared better at the ballot box than the statewide efforts ...
Blog

Read latest from Free Cities Center

With motivation, even California can clean up its cities

Why can’t it be like this all the time? The efforts were criticized because so much of San Francisco has fallen into a state of disrepair, with pervasive homelessness, drug abuse, petty crime and even human feces (so much so that a map was created to document the location of poop) ...
Blog

How will scandal impact reforms?

Aftermath of a scandal: Anaheim council spars over reforms

The recent reform effort, led by Mayor Ashleigh Aitken, comes at a wild time at City Hall. Aitken’s predecessor, Harry Sidhu, recently agreed to plead guilty to federal corruption charges. The findings of an explosive independent investigation were recently published and support much of what the federal authorities alleged last ...
Blog

Read latest on state's housing crisis

‘Inclusionary zoning’ will only exacerbate the housing crisis

San Francisco’s inclusionary zoning laws require that when proposing residential developments of 10 or more units, developers must take at least one from a handful of actions to create housing for lower-income families, including setting aside a percentage of units to be sold or rented at below market rate (either ...
Blog

California sends mixed messages on housing mandates

California sends mixed messages on housing mandates by Matt Fleming | June 22, 2023 Is California inching towards solving the housing crisis? Not exactly. But the same government that has perpetuated the crisis is at times taking modest actions to get out of the way. One of those ways began ...
Blog

Learn how poorly California students scored on the latest national literacy test

Low Adult Literacy Screams for Science-of-Reading Instruction in Schools

The United States ranks 36th in the world at a 79% literacy rate, which is quite terrible considering the US’s status as one of the most developed nations in the world. “Developed nations consistently boast adult literacy rates of 96% or higher, while the least developed countries struggle with an ...
Blog

Ranked Choice Voting does nothing to improve local elections

Ranked Choice Voting does nothing to improve local elections By Matthew Fleming | November 5, 2024 A recent social media post by a San Francisco mayoral candidate announcing his political strategy for the city’s ranked-choice voting inadvertently highlights why ranked-choice voting is silly. Approved by San Francisco voters in 2002, RCV ...
Blog

Does Oakland show any hope of exiting its doom loop?

Does Oakland show any hope of exiting its doom loop? by Matthew Fleming | August 30, 2024 Even before FBI agents raided the home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao in late June, it was safe to wonder: What the heck is wrong with Oakland? Defenders of the city point to ...
Blog

Read the latest on California's homeless crisis

Is drop in Sacramento homelessness a fluke or trend?

Officials reported a 29% decrease in overall homelessness in 2024 compared to 2022. But this coincides with a change in methodology in how people were counted, as well as a discrepancy between the count and what local nonprofits are finding on the ground. And one year does not make a ...
Blog

Patronage or problem solving? San Fran debates its proliferation of iffy commissions

Patronage or problem solving? San Fran debates its proliferation of iffy commissions Matthew Fleming  |  July 18, 2024 History of SF’s myriad commissions The first 21 commissions were founded in 1898 with the city and county charter, but the list has ballooned to 115 today for the city of around ...
Blog

Read about latest push for rent control

Even as rents fall, progressives push local rent controls

These local measures usually come with a tough cap on rent increases, as well as the creation of a new board of bureaucrats to monitor rents while diverting millions of dollars from other core city services. While local measures have fared better at the ballot box than the statewide efforts ...
Blog

Read latest from Free Cities Center

With motivation, even California can clean up its cities

Why can’t it be like this all the time? The efforts were criticized because so much of San Francisco has fallen into a state of disrepair, with pervasive homelessness, drug abuse, petty crime and even human feces (so much so that a map was created to document the location of poop) ...
Blog

How will scandal impact reforms?

Aftermath of a scandal: Anaheim council spars over reforms

The recent reform effort, led by Mayor Ashleigh Aitken, comes at a wild time at City Hall. Aitken’s predecessor, Harry Sidhu, recently agreed to plead guilty to federal corruption charges. The findings of an explosive independent investigation were recently published and support much of what the federal authorities alleged last ...
Blog

Read latest on state's housing crisis

‘Inclusionary zoning’ will only exacerbate the housing crisis

San Francisco’s inclusionary zoning laws require that when proposing residential developments of 10 or more units, developers must take at least one from a handful of actions to create housing for lower-income families, including setting aside a percentage of units to be sold or rented at below market rate (either ...
Blog

California sends mixed messages on housing mandates

California sends mixed messages on housing mandates by Matt Fleming | June 22, 2023 Is California inching towards solving the housing crisis? Not exactly. But the same government that has perpetuated the crisis is at times taking modest actions to get out of the way. One of those ways began ...
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