Plan To End Daylight Saving Time In California Passes Committee
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – A Bay Area lawmaker's proposal to end Daylight Saving Time in California passed a State Senate committee this week.
AB 385 by Assemblymember Kansen Chu (D-San Jose) would place a measure before voters that would propose dropping DST in the Golden State and remaining in Pacific Standard Time year-round.
On Monday, the bill passed the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee by a vote of 7-2. AB 385 now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
"Daylight Saving Time is an institution that has been in place largely without question for more than half a century," Chu said in a written statement. "I think we owe it to the general public to be given the opportunity to decide for themselves whether or not it ought to be continued."
California voters approved Daylight Saving Time with a ballot measure in 1949.
Chu said despite claims from proponents, Daylight Saving Time does not save energy. According to the assemblymember, research shows an increased number of heart attacks, traffic accidents and fatalities in the days following a time change.
Currently, Hawaii and much of Arizona observe standard time year-round.
Tim Fang is a digital producer for CBS San Francisco and a native of the Bay Area. Follow him on Twitter @fangtj.
