As California and most of the United States prepare for the annual spring time change, former President Donald Trump has sparked renewed debate about ending Daylight Saving Time (DST) altogether.
The next time change is set for Sunday, March 9, 2025, at 2 a.m., when clocks will jump forward one hour. For Californians, this means losing an hour of sleep but gaining more evening daylight.
Trump recently announced on Truth Social that the Republican Party would push to eliminate DST, calling it "inconvenient and very costly to our Nation." However, any changes would require Congressional approval.
For California residents, the March time change will impact sunrise and sunset times across the state. In San Diego, the sun will rise just after 7 a.m. with sunset around 7 p.m. Northern cities like Redding will see sunrise at 7:30 a.m. and sunset at 7:10 p.m.
The practice of changing clocks twice yearly has faced growing scrutiny. In 2022, the Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act to make DST permanent, but the bill stalled in the House of Representatives. As of February 2025, no permanent end to the biannual time changes is scheduled.
Currently, only Hawaii and parts of Arizona (excluding the Navajo Nation) opt out of DST, along with several U.S. territories. States can choose to exempt themselves through state law under the Uniform Time Act.
Contrary to popular belief, DST was not implemented for farmers - they were actually among its strongest opponents. The 2 a.m. change time was chosen to minimize disruption to train schedules when the practice began.
The fall time change, when clocks "fall back" an hour, is scheduled for Sunday, November 2, 2025.