Let’s Make Daylight Savings Permanent

Prop 7 passed! The Digital Dad explains why we need permanent DST in California.

Last November, California voters overwhelmingly passed Prop 7, the ballot initiative aimed at making daylight savings time (“DST”) year-round in our glorious state. From the moment I heard about this initiative, I instinctively knew I would vote for it, though I didn’t think it would actually pass. Now that it surprisingly has, I hope that permanent DST will get to see the light of day (lame pun intended).

First, let’s quickly establish a few key facts on DST.

• When we turn clocks an hour ahead in March (“Spring forward”), we are turning Daylight Savings Time “on.”
• When we turn clocks back in November (“Fall back”), we are turning DST “off,” or returning to Standard Time.
• In other words, DST optimizes for sunlight in the evening while Standard Time optimizes for sunlight in the morning.
• Arizona is the only contiguous state that does not observe DST, which you may have noticed if you’ve crossed Hoover Dam while on a drive from Vegas to the Grand Canyon.

Many pundits dismissed Prop 7 from onset through victory. For example, Gizmodo opined, “In Tuesday’s Absolute Worst Vote, California Opts for Year-Round Daylight Saving.” There is no doubt the logistical implications of permanent DST in CA would be a nightmare, especially for interstate travel. If you are flying from SF to Seattle, you might be one hour ahead when you land; if you are driving from the Bay Area to Reno, the time will change when you cross the state line. Likewise, cross-state business meetings, TV scheduling, and a whole host of other things will become unnecessarily confusing.

However, from the Digital Dad’s perspective, there are very real parental benefits of making Daylight Savings Time permanent — quite simply, an extra hour of sunlight in the morning is useless. An extra hour of light tacked on the end, however, is gold.

Here’s Maya’s typical daily routine, which I imagine is like most other toddlers:

• ~7:30–8:30 AM: Wake up, breakfast, get ready
• ~8:30–4:30 PM: School
• ~4:30 PM — 6:30 PM: Play
• >6:30 PM: Dinner, shower, evening routine, sleep

As you can see, the 4:30–6:30PM window is the daily “hump” for us parents. Once we’re past this, the finish line is in sight! However, if not planned properly, those 2 hours can become interminable.

By the time November roles around (pre-time change), it starts getting dark by 6PM, which means we still have a solid hour and half to take Maya to the park, play outside, walk around the neighborhood, etc. In the Bay Area, it is light (and not cold) that serves as the limiting factor for outdoor activities. Once the clock rolls back, it’s pretty much dark by the time she comes home from school and the grind is on. If you’re not a parent, what you may not realize is that young children are like pet dogs — they get pent up inside and need fresh air. Moving the clocks back is a major buzzkill.

On the flip side, getting that extra hour of light in the morning provides no real benefit since the morning routine is all about getting the kids fed, clothed, and out the door on time. Granted, Maya wakes up later than the average toddler, but I don’t know any parent who uses the morning window for outdoor play, even if he has the opportunity. Society just isn’t oriented that way.

Unfortunately, this debate will most likely be much ado about nothing as the odds of permanent DST actually getting implemented is extremely low.

Technically, Prop 7 only “permits the Legislature by two-thirds vote to make future changes to California’s daylight saving time period, including for its year-round application, if changes are consistent with federal law.”

Translated: multiple steps are still required before any change is implemented, and these are MAJOR hurdles. First, the CA state legislature needs to pass a bill in support of this with a two-thirds vote, not a simple majority. Florida recently passed the similar “Sunshine Protection Act,” so based on precedent, this step appears to be eminently achievable. The real barrier is getting Congressional support, which is also required. Congress has shown no inclination to take a vote on Florida, and there is a no reason why a newly installed Democratic majority would change anything as this is a non-partisan issue.

There’s a higher likelihood that Trump and Pelosi hug it out than permanent DST getting implement in CA, but it would still be fun to see how it plays out.

C’mon Nancy, make it happen!

Aside: While parenting considerations are the main reason I support this initiative, there is a part of me that relishes being an agitator. If California was its own country, we’d be the 5th largest economy in the world, and we are by far the most populous state in the union. Despite that, we get royally screwed at the Federal government level. We represent 12% of the population, but only have 2% representation in the US Senate. And California is a net giver when it comes to federal taxes (While we do get a relatively fair 10% of total electoral college votes, it’s grossly misleading and the subject of a whole different rant about popular vote vs. electoral college votes, but I digress).

If this causes logistical nightmares, so be it. Make other states adopt DST as well if they don’t like it. It’s about time we start pushing our weight around!

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