Over the weekend, we all had to turn our clocks forward an hour, but a new California bill could put an end to that time change.
The bill, recently introduced by Senator Roger Niello, would repeal Daylight Saving Time in California and require the state to observe year-round standard time.
“Having to do that every six months just throws a wrench in the gear and you got to adapt. It’s never a smooth transition,” said Chris Heylman, San Luis Obispo resident.
Standard Time is when Daylight Saving Time ends, and we fall back an hour every November, leading to earlier sunrises and sunsets. Some say they prefer Daylight Saving Time because of the extra hours of sunlight later in the day.
“Getting off at work and working from home, like when you get off at six and it’s dark, your day’s over and it’s sad. I enjoy when there’s more day to spread around,” said Davis Kelly, San Luis Obispo resident.
Some say they don’t mind either Standard or Daylight Saving Time but would like one to stay permanent throughout the year.
“Making that shift as a parent of two young children is fairly complicated and switching that schedule for work or prework activities is a little extra complication. I don’t really have a preference either way as long as we stop switching,” said Andrew Johnson, Atascadero resident.
Back in 2018, California voters passed Proposition 7, which allows state lawmakers to change the dates and times of Daylight Saving Time. However, Congressional approval is still needed.
Some say they don’t mind a bill to end Daylight Saving Time because they tend to be early risers.
“I like when it’s lighter earlier because I’m a morning person. I like to do my outdoor recreation in the morning. When we do this switch this time of year it’s a bummer because it stays dark late in the morning and I can’t do that anymore,” Heylman said.
But Heylman is also a professor at Cal Poly and says the time change affects his students who have early classes.
“They’re definitely more asleep because we’re switching to a shift where we’re leaping ahead and that throws them off. They’re still asleep when they show up to their early morning classes,” Heylman said.
For the bill to pass, it takes a two-thirds vote from the legislature along with Congressional action.
