Californians are voting for the option for the state government to choose whether or not they want to keep daylight savings.
The measure, Proposition 7, “Gives Legislature the ability to change daylight savings time period by a two-thirds vote, if changes are consistent with federal law. This measure has no direct fiscal effect because changes to daylight savings time would depend on future actions by the Legislature and potentially the federal government.”
This means that if the state is in favor, government could change the date of daylight savings or remove it all together. The state of California hasn’t announced what they will do yet.
Woodside high school freshman, Noah Rhen, said, “ Daylight savings really sucks because just when you’ve gotten used to high school mornings your whole schedule has to change.” The problem might even go farther than that.
Daylight savings really sucks because just when you’ve gotten used to high school mornings your whole schedule has to change.
— Noah Rhen
A 2016 study from San Antonio Express-News found that daylight savings can be related to temporary health problems: “The overall rate for stroke is 8% higher in the two days after Daylight Saving time. Cancer victims were 25% more likely to have a stroke during that time, and people older than 65 were 20% more likely to have a stroke.
These health problems could affect Woodside students, along with many others. Daylight Savings was started for people to make better use of their time, and some think that Daylight Savings has outlived its use.
The Marshall News Messenger, a publication out of San Antonio, reported in an opinion piece that “daylight saving time has long outlasted its purpose and, as a result, is wildly unpopular with folks across the country. Just 33 percent of Americans believe daylight saving time is worth the hassle.“
Other people think that the negative effects of Daylight Savings aren’t bad enough to get rid of it. Daylight Savings makes sure that less artificial light is used and it gives us longer evenings. If California took it away we would lose those benefits.
Because California hasn’t announced what they plan to do, voting will be harder but the choice is already decided for Woodside High School graduate Gabriel DeVitis. “I would vote against it. I like the time change, and the change it brings.”
