Civic Register
| 10.24.18
Adopting Permanent Daylight Saving Time on the Ballot in CA
Vote to see how others feel about this issue
What’s the story?
- California Proposition 7 would establish permanent, year-round daylight saving time (DST) in California—if federal law is changed to allow for permanent DST.
- As of 2018, the federal Uniform Time Act allows states to either adopt DST between the second Sunday of March or the first Sunday of November or remain on standard time year-round.
"Under federal law, the U.S. Department of Transportation is charged with setting time zones but allows states to exempt themselves from daylight saving time, if Congress approves," the Miami Herald explained.
- In 2016, the California State Legislature asked the president and Congress to pass an act that would allow California to adopt year-round DST. In March 2018, Florida also asked the federal government to allow the state to enact year-round DST.
- To enact Proposition 7, Proposition 12 (1949), a ballot initiative that established DST in California, would need to be repealed.
What a YES vote means
Allowing the California State Legislature to:
- Establish “Pacific standard time” as the standard time within California.
- Change the dates and time of DST by a two-thirds vote, as consistent with federal law.
- Establish permanent, year-round DST in California by a two-thirds vote—if federal law is changed to allow for permanent DST.
What a NO vote means
Opposes allowing the state legislature to:
- Change the dates and time of DST by a two-thirds vote, as consistent with federal law.
- Establish permanent, year-round DST in California by a two-thirds vote—if federal law is changed to allow for permanent DST.
What are both sides saying?
- Democratic Rep. Kansen Chu, a legislative sponsor of the measure, described DST as an "outdated practice of switching our clocks in the fall and spring.” He continued:
“We started this practice to conserve energy during wartime, but studies show that this is no longer the case. We are no longer saving energy, and studies have shown this practice increases risk of heart attacks, traffic accidents and crimes. It is time that we as a state reconsider whether this is still beneficial to our residents.”
- Because passing the Permanent Daylight Saving Time Measure would still require votes in the California State Legislature and Congress, the L.A. Times supports Prop. 7 as it “won’t stop the clock-changing; it would just allow the discussion to continue about the merits of doing so, as well as making the procedural changes needed to allow a future shift to permanent daylight saving time."
"It’s a debate worth having, and for that reason we urge voters to say ‘yes’ on this measure.”
- Republican Sen. Jim Nielsen argued Prop. 7 is "fixing something that is not broken. Our society has acculturated itself to Daylight Savings Time. I think it would create too much confusion to change it again."
- Democratic Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson also opposes Prop. 7:
"First, if California wants it, the federal government is going to say ‘no.’ Second, the system we have really does the best to accommodate people. Third, with so many critical issues facing this state — housing, healthcare, the gas tax — to dive into the pros and cons of this diminishes the importance of more substantive ballot measures."
What do you think?
Want a similar proposition added to your ballot next year? Should DST be adopted year-round? Why do I always add an "s" and say daylight savings time? Take action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.
—Josh Herman
(Photo Credit: iStockphoto.com / Konoplytska)
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