A bad day for morning people, a good day for everybody else. Happy daylight saving day
Your morning catch-up: Why daylight needed saving, Trump’s true objective in the Iran war and more big stories
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If you’re extra cranky today, boy do I have just the excuse for you. Overnight, daylight saving time kicked in, giving us an extra hour of sunlight in the afternoon and stealing an hour of sleep.
When author and DST expert David Prerau opened our call with, “It goes way back to Benjamin Franklin,” I knew I was in for a doozy of a subject. Being from Hawaii — which ticks on permanent standard time, along with Arizona — I knew I was entering a whole different ballgame of controversies when I moved to California, but I didn’t know daylight savings would be one of them.
What’s the current state of daylight saving time?
Prerau went on to explain DST’s winding history but highlighted a very straightforward present.
“There’s only, right now, three choices: year-round daylight saving time, year-round standard time, and what we have,” the author of “Saving the Daylight” said. “The current system we have is the best of both.”
As we have it now, DST starts on the second Sunday of March and lasts eight months — which Prerau claimed is an ideal duration — until Nov. 1 this year, when the clock will turn back one hour.
While cheers may be heard from many around 48 U.S. states when the sun sets one hour later today, people weren’t too happy when the U.S. adopted year-round daylight saving time in the early 1970s. The law was in response to an energy crisis and was meant to last two years, but Congress repealed it before the two years were up.
History somewhat repeated itself in 2021 with the Sunshine Protection Act (S-623) to make daylight saving time permanent. The Senate passed the bill unanimously, which, Prerau quipped, “means that nobody even read it.” Because how else would the Senate completely agree on anything? The House of Representatives made sure American order was restored by letting the bill stall.
California state Sen. Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks) introduced a bill in 2024 proposing the state shift to permanent standard time, claiming that “changing between standard time and daylight saving time is disruptive to health, safety, and education.” The bill died in February, but he has since introduced another, SB 1197, with the same goal.
The National Sleep Foundation aligns with Niello.
“California already has a track record at looking at ways they can prioritize sleep health,” said John Lopos, the foundation’s chief executive. “This kind of a change, to eliminate clock change and adopt permanent standard time, I believe, would be consistent with things California already has done that says, ‘We think sleep health is important.’”
So, why did daylight need to be saved in the first place?
Daylight saving was established by Germany in 1916 during World War I as an energy-saving measure, and the U.S. followed suit two years later.
The clock change does not add or erase an hour of sunlight — it’s simply an issue of whether the extra hour of sun will be in the morning or evening. For early risers and those who may like to squeeze in exercise before work, standard time could serve them better, whereas after-work busies benefit from extra light in the evening. Like DST, people’s feelings about the clock change are often seasonal.
“If you ask people in the winter, they generally say they like standard time,” said Jay Pea, president of Save Standard Time. “You ask people in the summer, they say they want to keep daylight savings.”
Jamie M. Zeitzer, co-director of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Sciences at Stanford University, highlighted two results of the time change that can cause a rise in accidents and cardiovascular issues in the spring: sleep loss and rising an hour earlier than your body expects. Advocates for standard time often highlight those risks. But, Zeitzer explained, “It’s a risk that we put ourselves at all the time,” such as when you fly to a different time zone.
Visible in the legislation pingpong: Not everyone can agree on which system is superior.
“No matter what time policy you do, there’s going to be a large number of people who feel disenfranchised by it, who feel like they are being harmed by it,” Zeitzer said.
Other places such as British Columbia have adopted permanent daylight saving time, and while Sen. Niello’s bill keeps the other side of the debate awake in California, our current time system ensures everyone gets their way for some months out of each year.
And remember, most Californians are running on an hour less sleep today, so drive a little slower and blame your crankiness on the time change.
The week’s biggest stories
Crime and courts
- One town’s day of terror after the killing of Mexican cartel boss “El Mencho.”
- Paramount is investigating whether its president leaked corporate secrets to a Las Vegas high-roller.
- On a quiet street in Carson, seniors were neglected and malnourished, authorities say.
- A former Cal State Bakersfield basketball assistant coach faces charges of pimping and possession of drugs and firearms.
War against Iran
- After a week of war and political upheaval, President Trump remains defiant as ever.
- What is Trump’s true objective in the Iran war? U.S. targets provide a clue.
- As Iran threatens to burn ships, gas prices are soaring and the Trump administration sets the stage to OK a controversial offshore oil plan.
- After initial jubilation, some Iranian Americans fear that their native country could descend into chaos, as Iraq did after the 2003 American invasion.
- Iranians in L.A. turn to WhatsApp and Fox News for updates on loved ones.
Climate and environment
- This condor couple may be tending to the first egg in Northern California in a century.
- California youths plead with an appeals court to hear how climate change affects their lives.
- Sea levels are already higher than we thought, according to new calculations.
- After an uproar, Orange County stops spraying herbicide in two creeks.
What else is going on
- Pacific Palisades’ 97-year-old newspaper closed after the 2025 fire. Now it’s staging a comeback.
- A lawsuit alleges Google chatbot was behind a user’s delusions and death.
- FX’s “Love Story” gets no love from Daryl Hannah over her portrayal: “Real names are not fictional tools.”
- Grocery Outlet will close dozens of stores after overexpansion.
- L.A. Marathon and the Oscars will take over Los Angeles this month. Here are the roads that will be closed.
- Satellite photos show California’s sudden snowpack meltdown: Now you see it, now you don’t.
Must reads
A 10-year-old girl from San Bernardino is taking a college course. A school official said she could be a doctor by the age of 20.
Other great reads
- How Narciso Rodriguez and his bridal dress for Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy shaped “Love Story.”
- Latinx voters showcased their political power in Texas primary elections.
- Column: For this Lent, may Christians repent of Trump and the warmongers he’s unleashed.
For your downtime
Going out
- Sunday Funday: Two-time Olympian Jordan Chiles shares her favorite Sunday activities, including video games, shopping and Domino’s pizza.
- Restaurants: Here are the best places to eat and drink in L.A. this month, according to our food writers.
- Hiking: Here are three L.A. night hikes to check out during Ramadan.
- Theme parks: Universal Studios’ “Fast & Furious” coaster is almost ready to ride.
Staying in
- Television: In HBO’s new series “Rooster,” Steve Carell leads a gentle comedy about a father-daughter relationship.
- Books: Iranian feminist author Shahrnush Parsipur was imprisoned by the shah and the ayatollahs. Her book “Women Without Men” could win the Booker Prize.
- Recipe: Here’s a recipe for Mini Kabob’s pan-seared chicken.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.
L.A. Affairs
Get wrapped up in tantalizing stories about dating, relationships and marriage.
We became a small tribe bound by the sound of a ping-pong ball. Eventually politics changed our safe space in Santa Monica.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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