7: Daylight Savings Time Forever
What it would do:
Repeal the 1949 law that created Daylight Savings Time. If voters approve Prop. 7, the Legislature would then be able to pass a law with a two-thirds majority finally nixing the biannual tradition of moving clocks backward and forward every spring and fall. That is, assuming the federal government let’s us get away with it.
What it would cost the government:
Not much. Messing with our clock could affect energy consumption and worker productivity, but it’s not clear how or by how much.
Why it is on the ballot:
Democratic Assemblyman Kansen Chu of San Jose carried a bill the Legislature passed to place the measure on the ballot. Gov. Jerry Brown’s signing statement declared “Fiat Lux!”—the motto of his alma mater UC Berkeley. It’s Latin for “Let there be light.”
Still undecided? Check out our interactive ballot guide that helps you get to a decision about how to vote on each ballot measure through a series of questions.
Arguments
Arguments in Favor:
Resetting our clocks every year is antiquated, annoying, and bad for our health. Canning this tired tradition would improve the quality of our sleep and allow us to enjoy some extra afternoon daylight between November and March.
Arguments Against:
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Daylight savings time may be a little annoying, but being on separate clock from the rest of the country half of the time is liable to be even more inconvenient. Plus, more dark mornings in the dead of winter would likely lead to more traffic accidents in the hours when children are going to school and adults are on their way to work.
Supporters/Opponents
Supporters
California Democratic Party
Democratic Assemblyman Kansen Chu
Opponents
Democratic State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson
Republican State Sen. Jim Nielsen
