PROP 7
PROPOSITION 7 — DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME
A YES vote here would give the legislature the ability to impact Daylight Saving Time (not “Daylight Savings Time”) in California.
A YES vote would NOT immediately get rid of the time change. Read on.
This proposition was placed on the ballot by the legislature.
Q. What is Daylight Saving Time?
A. Federal law places California in the zone of Pacific Standard Time, and stipulates the Daylight Saving time begins at 2AM on the second Sunday morning of March, and ends on 2AM of the first Sunday morning of November. 2AM “springs forward” and “falls back”—in other words, there’s no such thing as 2:30AM on that Sunday morning in March, while on that special Sunday in November 2:30AM happens twice. So, in the summer, sunrises and sunsets occur one hour later than they do in the winter when we are on standard time.
“A YES vote would NOT immediately get rid of the time change.”
Q. But don’t we already do that?
A. Yes.
Q. Then WTF?
A. **IF** federal law is changed to allow the State of California to eliminate the time change, this proposition would allow the legislature to enact the change by 2/3 vote. It would allow the legislature to make future changes by 2/3 vote assuming any change was consistent with federal law.
Q. How come Arizona gets to do it?
A. They don’t. Arizona OPTS OUT of DST. So does Hawai’i. Arizona does it in order to end summer days sooner, when energy consumption is highest.
What this proposition would do is allow California to REMAIN in DST permanently if federal law is changed and if the legislature approves it.
In that case we would “spring forward” one last time and then stay there.
OR, the legislature could elect to stay in Standard Time the way Arizona does. We would “fall back” and then stay there.
Q. How come the legislature can’t do it right now?
A. In 1949 the state approved a ballot proposition establishing DST in California and that can only be changed by a ballot proposition like this one.
Q. Do people even ** like ** DST?
A. According to the voter’s guide, during the energy crisis that unfolded in the wake of the Yom Kippur War in the winter of 1974-5, President Nixon ordered full-time DST, but after the emergency ended it was not permanently adopted because during that winter “people hated the fact that in the morning, the sun rose too late.”
We also tried this during World War II in order to save energy, but it was hard on farmers for some reason (is there some reason farmers need clocks in order to decide when to work? Just asking. They seemed to do fine without them in 1750). President Truman signed a bill ending DST just after the war ended.
In the winter, we might not have the sun coming up until what, 8? In Palm Springs in December the sun dips behind Mt. San Jacinto at like 2:30PM so it would be nice for me to get that extra hour of light, especially since I go to work in the dark anyway. But that’s just me.
Q. What’s the argument about?
A. This proposition is misleading on both fronts.
Proponents who hope to eliminate the change argue that it is disruptive, especially to folks at risk of stroke. They also have data showing car accidents spike after these changes. And they also claim we would save money on energy. I don’t think that’s clearly the case, unless we do what Arizona did. On the other hand, under President W. Bush, DST was extended a month on either end specifically to address energy consumption. I confess: I don’t get it. I guess because people don’t have to have the lights on during dinner in the summer? They don’t anyway, do they???
See, the passage of Prop 7, whose title includes the phrase “Daylight Saving” twice, would not necessarily place California on permanent Daylight Saving Time—we can’t under federal law currently. What it’s more LIKELY to do is place California on permanent Standard Time, just like Arizona.
Opponents whine that it would be too light in the morning in the summer. IT ALREADY IS. They also complain about the dangers of going to school in the dark in the winter. KIDS ALREADY DO.
Right now:
CA same as OR, WA, NV, Baja California year round
CA same as AZ in the summer
Permanent DST, if no other state acts:
CA same as AZ year round
CA same as OR, WA, NV, Baja California in the summer
CA same as CO, MT, NM, UT in the winter
Permanent Standard Time, if no other state acts
CA same as AK in the summer
CA same as OR, WA, NV, Baja California in the winter
Some state Democrats and a cardiologist wrote the argument for Prop 7 in the voters’ guide. A state Democrat and a state Republican wrote the argument against.
$0 has been raised.
You’ve probably already wasted too much of your time reading about this, since the Proposition itself does nothing, but here’s my take, if you care:
Personally I want to eliminate the change—I find it silly and unnecessarily disruptive. I’m hoping the legislature elects to stay on Standard Time... it feels like the sun comes up at 4AM in June, and I’d love for the hot day to unfold later.
In fact, the whole nation should move to Standard Time and be done with it.
#YesOn7 #Prop7
