The sun may be setting on Daylight Savings Time in the state of California.
California voters may get a chance to weigh in on Daylight Saving Time.The state Senate Thursday passed a bill asking voters to repeal the current system and give lawmakers the power to adjust the time with a two-thirds vote.Supporters say daylight saving time is outdated. Opponents call the effort an expensive waste of taxpayer money.The bill now goes to Governor Brown.
If Brown signs Assembly Bill 807, the measure would be on November’s ballot. Personally, Daylight Savings Monday is my least favorite day of the year, so I will be even more motivated to vote….and I already have a Kilauea-sized fire in my belly to head to the polls this November.
The bill’s author is Assemblyman Kansen Chu of San Jose. He notes that the practice is no longer sensible because California’s energy consumption pattern has changed.
“We got so many electronic gadgets and the air conditioning and you name it. Back in the ’40s when they go home, they pretty much retired, but nowadays, the energy consumption in the evenings is actually higher than the day time,” Chu said.He said eliminating Daylight Saving Time would help people save on their electricity bills. He added that data shows health risks such as heart attacks and strokes go up during the time changes.”Studies show that work-related accidents and traffic accidents actually increase the week after we change the clock,” Chu said.
Like the vote to split the state into 3 new ones, a “yes” on this measure would initiate a complex chain of actions required to retire the time change.
AB 807 allows the Legislature to amend daylight saving time with a two-thirds vote in the future. If voters approve the ballot measure, Chu, or another lawmaker, would need to introduce a new bill to establish a permanent daylight saving time.The new proposal would have to clear the Senate and the Assembly and receive the governor’s signature. Then Congress would have to take action to sanction the law and allow states to adopt a year-round daylight saving time.
I can hardly wait!
California would not be the first state to eliminate Daylight Saving Time. A similar measure passed Florida’s state house and senate. Additionally, Arizona and Hawaii have no time change.
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