Early Sunday morning, Californians and most everyone else in the U.S. will see their clocks “fall back” an hour as part of a seasonal ritual to make the most of dwindling winter daylight.
It has spawned endless grievance over the years, with people showing up too early Sunday morning for church and then cussing up a storm trying to remember how to reset the time in their car. And you’re probably thinking, wait, didn’t we vote to stop doing this?
Well, yes, we did. So why are we still doing it?
Q How did we get into this Daylight Saving Time clock-resetting thing?
A Though clocks date back hundreds of years, there wasn’t much time standardization from place to place. People couldn’t travel quickly, so it didn’t matter, and up through the horse-and-buggy days of the 19th century, there were as many as 144 local times in North America, according to the Department of Transportation.
Railroads changed that. To avoid collisions and missed connections, they implemented a coordinated time zone system in 1883. Federal transportation authorities took over time management in the early 20th century and introduced Daylight Saving Time in 1918 to preserve fuel during World War I. It reappeared for the same reason in World War II and became permanent with the Uniform Time Act of 1966.
Q Does everyone in the U.S. have to do Daylight Saving Time?
A No. Seasonal changes in the length of day become less noticeable the closer you are to the Earth’s equator, so tropical Hawaii doesn’t use it. Neither does sun-drenched Arizona — except for within the Navajo Nation — American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Q So if they can ditch the time switch, why can’t we?
A The way the Uniform Time Act is written, states can opt out of Daylight Saving Time and use Standard Time year round. But if they adopt Daylight Saving Time, they must use the federal government’s schedule, currently from 2 a.m. the second Sunday of March through 2 a.m. the first Sunday of November.
Q Why not dump Daylight Saving Time then and use Standard Time?
A That’s possible and was suggested by many foes of the clock-changing ritual, including Kansen Chu, the former San Jose city councilman and state Assemblyman whose legislation led to California’s vote to keep the same time all year.
The idea of keeping Standard Time year round ran into a buzz-saw of critiques from youth sports leagues that depend on the longer afternoons of Daylight Saving Time for after-school outdoor sports such as baseball, soccer and football, especially if they don’t have costly field lighting.
So Chu, who just wants to do away with the time switch, authored legislation that would allow the state to do it one way or the other.
Q Remind me, what exactly did California vote to do?
A Chu’s legislation — which then-Gov. Jerry Brown enthusiastically signed with the statement “Fiat lux!” (let there be light) — created Proposition 7 on the November 2018 ballot, which was needed to undo an earlier proposition state voters approved in 1949 adopting Daylight Saving Time.
Proposition 7, approved by nearly 60% of California voters, allows the state legislature to change the Daylight Saving Time period by two-thirds vote if the changes are consistent with federal law. So if a supermajority of lawmakers approve, the state either could eliminate Daylight Saving Time altogether or, with the help of Congress, extend it year round. But for whatever reason, they haven’t taken it up yet.
Q Are other states looking to do away with Daylight Saving Time too?
A According to a September update of the National Conference of State Legislatures, 18 other states have adopted measures or resolutions that would provide for year-round Daylight Saving Time, including Oregon and Washington and much of the Deep South.
Since 2015, at least 450 bills and resolutions have been introduced in virtually every state, but none of significance passed until 2018 when Florida became the first state to enact legislation to permanently observe Daylight Saving Time, pending amendment of federal law to permit such action.
Q Is anything happening with this in Congress?
A Florida lawmakers have been pushing legislation to allow states to adopt Daylight Saving Time year round. Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, has repeatedly introduced the Sunshine Protection Act to do that, and last year’s version passed unanimously out of the Senate. But he said Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the former House Speaker, never brought the legislation up for a vote.
Rubio in March reintroduced the Sunshine Protection Act of 2023, and fellow Florida Republican Vern Buchanan introduced companion legislation in the House, now controlled by the GOP. On Friday, Rubio urged Congress to pass the bill. “The practice of changing our clocks has outlived its purpose,” Rubio said.
Q My kids don’t play after school sports. Would there be benefits to year-round Daylight Saving Time for the rest of us?
A Advocates like Rubio have pointed to studies showing reductions in crime with extended evening daylight hours, and health officials have said longer afternoon daylight promotes healthy outdoor activity and that eliminating the disruption of the schedule change lowers stress that can pose a health hazard.
Q What’s the downside?
A Morning darkness. The U.S. actually tried this once before. President Richard Nixon, amid an energy crisis and gas rationing, called for clocks to spring forward Jan. 6, 1974, and stay that way till April 27, 1975. But by that October, New York kids were waiting for the school bus in darkness, and public outcry led to scrapping extended Daylight Saving Time on Oct. 27.
Q I know our smart phones and many other devices automatically update the time change, but how do I change my vintage clock radio or my 2010 VW Jetta?
A You’re on your own with that one, buddy. Best of luck.