California Voters Will Get to Weigh in on Daylight Saving Time in November
California voters in November will get to weigh in on whether the state should continue its practice of changing the clocks twice a year after Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday signed a bill to put the question on the statewide ballot.
The ballot measure would only give the Legislature the power to alter the practice with a two-thirds vote. Even then, approval from the federal government would be required.
“If passed, it will — albeit through a circuitous path — open the door for year-round daylight saving,” Brown wrote in a signing message, adding in Latin “Fiat Lux!” which translates to “Let there be light.”
The ballot measure would repeal the state’s 69-year-old Daylight Saving Time Act, giving lawmakers power to initiate an end to the practice of advancing the clock by one hour on the second Sunday each March, and moving the clock back an hour on the first Sunday in November.
Assemblyman Kansen Chu (D-San Jose) said the ballot measure he proposed creates a path for California to stay on daylight saving time all year. Moving the clock twice a year has not saved energy, he said, but pointed out that studies show it has impacted public health by leading to more traffic accidents, workplace injuries and heart attacks.