Daylight Saving Time 2023: Why California Will Still Spring Forward – for Now

From an article in the Palm Springs Desert Sun by Jennifer Sangalang.

At 2 a.m. Sunday, March 12, California residents, like most of the country, had to set their clocks forward by one hour. The seasonal back and forth continues for now even though in 2018, California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 7, a ballot initiative that opened the door to permanently adopting daylight saving time. Prop. 7 gave state lawmakers the power to pass legislation making daylight saving time permanent. Less than a month later, Assemblyman Kansen Chu introduced a bill to do just that, AB 7, but the Legislature never passed it. Even if it had, the federal government would still need to OK the change.

Last year, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved a bill called the Sunshine Protection Act, which was introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida. The bill would permanently extend daylight saving time from eight months of the year to the full 12 months. But the measure has not yet been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, where it was "held at the desk" and didn't get a vote, nor has it been signed into law by President Joe Biden.

It was never about the farmers--Here are some things to know about daylight saving time, fall back and spring forward.

What is daylight saving time?
According to timeanddate.com, "daylight saving time is the practice of setting the clocks one hour ahead of standard time to make use of more sunlight in the spring, summer, and fall evenings. Daylight Saving Time (DST) is used to save energy and make better use of daylight. It was first used in 1908 in Thunder Bay, Canada."

Daylight saving time became a national standard in 1966 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act, which was established as a way to continue to conserve energy. The thinking was, if it's light out longer, that's less time you'll need to use lights in your home.

Did Benjamin Franklin invent daylight saving time?
Not exactly. Benjamin Franklin was likely one of the first to talk about daylight saving time in the 1780s, presumably to save money on candles.

When is daylight saving time 2023?
Daylight saving time for 2023 will begin at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 12, for "spring forward" and end at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, for "fall back."

 

What is the Sunshine Protection Act?
The Sunshine Protection Act would permanently extend daylight saving time from eight months of the year to the full 12 months. The bill was first introduced in January 2021 and reintroduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, and seven other bipartisan members of Congress in March 2022. The bill would make daylight saving time permanent across the U.S. But so far, it's only passed the Senate.

Is it daylight savings time, daylight saving's time, daylight saving time?
It's daylight saving time. No hyphen, no apostrophe and no extra S in the phrase. Also, no capitalization.

What does "spring forward, fall back" mean?
According to dictionary.com, daylight saving, commonly referred to as daylight savings, "is begun in the spring by setting clocks one hour ahead. They are then set one hour back in the fall. ... People often use the simple mnemonic spring forward, fall back to remember to set clocks forward one hour (e.g., from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m.) in the spring and backward one hour (e.g., from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m.) in the fall."

Who's in charge of daylight saving time?
The U.S. Department of Transportation oversees the nation's time zones and the uniform observance of daylight saving time, according to transportation.gov. The oversight of time zones was assigned to the DOT to help keep track of transportation. The DOT manages daylight saving time and cites energy reduction and reduced crime as reasons for the time change.

What is the Standard Time Act?
The Standard Time Act of 1918 was the first federal law that implemented standard time and daylight saving time.

The U.S. Department of Transportation states, "federal oversight of time zones began in 1918 with the enactment of the Standard Time Act, which vested the Interstate Commerce Commission with the responsibility for establishing boundaries between the standard time zones in the U.S. This responsibility was transferred from the Interstate Commerce Commission to DOT when Congress created DOT in 1966."

What is the Uniform Time Act?
In 1966 when the U.S. Department of Transportation was created, the Uniform Time Act established a system of uniform daylight saving time across the U.S. It simplified when and where daylight saving time would take effect.

Which states don't observe daylight saving time?
Arizona and Hawaii do not recognize DST. There's also no need to change the clocks in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.

Which states don't want to observe daylight saving time?
More than 30 states are considering legislation related to the practice of changing clocks twice a year, and seven states — Alabama, Arkansas, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington and Florida — have already approved the legislation. However, these states still need the OK from Congress to enact the change.

Which countries observe daylight saving time?
Daylight saving time is used in more than 70 countries worldwide and affects more than a billion people each year. The beginning and end dates vary from one country to another.

What are the pros of daylight saving time?
If permanent daylight saving time takes effect, the biggest pro by far would be no sleep disruption. No need to change your clock twice a year before, at or after 2 a.m. on a Sunday in the fall and spring.

Other perks would be more time during the day to be out and about, and experts say it's better for your health — no sleep disruption. No preparing-for-bed or waking-up habits to change.