Daylight saving time returns, despite perennial politicking to stop the switch

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After enduring months of long, dark — and, in Southern California, rather moderate — winter evenings, some residents will rejoice at the extra hour of daylight arriving Sunday, while others will mourn their lost hour of sleep.Generally speaking, the twice-a-year daylight saving time clock changes are unpopular.Research shows most Americans favor ditching the practice, but are divided on which time system should stick.

But for now, Californians will all move their clocks forward an hour at 2 a.m.Sunday.

A mere 12% of Americans actively favor the sundial shuffle, 47% are opposed and 40% are neutral, according to a 2025 poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.A 2025 Gallup poll found that the majority of Americans say they are ready to do away with the time shift, with 48% preferring standard time year round and 24% preferring daylight saving year round.

Politics Two days before Californians go to the polls next month, as clocks and watches will be reset, the central question of Proposition 7 will be clear: Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t have to change the time twice a year? In 2018, California voters passed Proposition 7, allowing the state to adopt permanent daylight saving time if federal law permits.Nineteen states have adopted similar legislation aimed at ending the twice-yearly clock change, but these measures cannot take effect without congressional action.Over the course of the last decade, dozens of bills have been introduced in Congress seeking to make daylight saving time permanent.

However, legislation has stalled — largely because lawmakers cannot come to a consensus on what should replace the time switch.Many lawmakers support permanent daylight saving time because it gives people later sunsets.Some research suggests the “spring forward” is also correlated with a bump in credit card spending.However, sleep scientists a...