Do you remember back in 2018 when –
What did you say?
Oh, you’re not really awake yet?
Yeah, me neither. We changed our clocks yesterday due to damn Daylight Saving Time.
That time change scrambles up everybody’s sleep for awhile.
And that’s why, back in November 2018, we Californians voted to do away with the twice-a-year clock changing and all that “Spring Forward/Fall Back” stuff.
We voted on Proposition 7, and a clear majority of us – 60 percent – said, “Let’s stop this clock-changing crap.”
That was a year ago.
So why are we still doing the clock-changing crap?
Here’s one reason:
Here’s the process:
For Proposition 7 to become a reality, a law must be passed by two-thirds of the California legislature.
For two-thirds of the California legislature to pass a law, there must be a law to pass.
That law took the form of Assembly Bill 7, or AB-7, introduced by Assemblyman Kansen Chu, a Democrat who represents California’s 25th Assembly District:
Chu introduced the bill on December 3, 2018.
It’s been languishing in the legislature ever since.
Languishing, like 19th-century woman on her fainting couch, in need of smelling salts to revive her:
AB-7 reads, in part,
Existing state law sets the standard time for California and sets Daylight Saving Time to begin each March and end each November. Existing law allows the state to set the standard time to year-round Daylight Saving Time if federal law authorizes the state to do so.
Existing federal law does not currently allow a state to set its standard time to year-round Daylight Saving Time.
This bill would set California’s standard time to year-round Daylight Saving Time after the federal government authorizes the state to do so, as specified.
So the passage of AB-7 would only happen if the California Legislature passed it by two-thirds and then federal government authorized it.
Strange but true – back in March, Trump said something I agreed with:
Me, agreeing with Trump?
Bring me the fainting couch!
So it appears that the federal government would authorize AB-7, and in California we could forget about changing our clocks and trying to adjust our twice-a-year sorry asses.
But…AB-7 isn’t going anywhere, and it appears the reason is none other than…
California Assemblyman Kansen Chu.
The guy who introduced AB-7 in the first place.
In September Chu announced that he was making a two-year bill out of AB-7. Chu said he made the call because he wants to further consult his constituents:
“As this is an issue that impacts all Californians, I want to take the next few months to ask my constituents their thoughts on permanent Daylight Saving Time vs. permanent Standard Time,” he said in a statement.
Wait. What?
AB-7 was very clear:
“This bill would set California’s standard time
to year-round Daylight Saving Time.”
Now Chu wants to cruise around the 25th District and ask people if they want permanent Daylight Saving Time or permanent Standard Time?
While he’s at it, is he going to “ask his constituents” if they want French fries or onion rings with that?
Says Chu,
“It is important to me that my constituents are heard, and putting a pause on moving the bill will give me the opportunity to do more outreach.”
Assemblyman Chu, your constituents have already been “heard.”
They didn’t hesitate. They didn’t prevaricate. They didn’t obfuscate.
In November 2018, your constituents were some of the seven million+ voters who said yes to Proposition 7.
In fact, if you look at this map of the Proposition 7 votes by county:
You’ll see that your 25th District voted solidly green – in favor of Proposition 7.
Proposition 7, the bill that “would set California’s standard time to year-round Daylight Saving Time.”
Assemblyman Chu, what part of this don’t you understand?
Well, while we’re waiting for Chu “to do more outreach,” the U.S. Congress has the opportunity to fix the clock-changing crap. And not just for California, but for the whole country.
It’s Senate Bill 670, the Sunshine Protection Act:
And in case you can’t read the fine print at the bottom, here it is:
S.670 was introduced by Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) on March 6, 2019. On October 31, 2019 Rubio – fainting couch time again – also said something I agree with:
“It’s my hope that Sunday, November 3 will be the last time that we have to do this ridiculous changing of the clocks back and forth. It makes absolutely no sense, there’s no justification for it. It has strong support in the House and in the Senate, the White House, the president said he would sign it. I hope we can get this bill passed because I just think it makes all the sense in the world, and this changing of the clocks back and forth makes no sense at all.”
But Rubio introduced the Sunshine Protection Act back in March.
And since then it, too, has been languishing, this time in the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation. That’s a standing committee made up of 14 Republicans and 12 Democrats.
So what the hell have these 26 people been so busy doing that they can’t move along a simple bill that “has strong support in the House and the Senate, and the White House”?
I guess they’ve been busy with this:
Because of this…
Looks like we’re stuck with Spring Forward/Fall Back.
I Hate Houseguests 