People across the country are split on whether Daylight Saving Time should continue.
Daylight Saving Time began a little over a week ago and will continue until 2 a.m. on November 6, when turn our clocks back an hour.
The U.S. Senate approved the Sunshine Protection Act on March 15, which would make Daylight Saving Time permanent in 2023.
Rancho Burro Donkey Sanctuary co-owner Jim Eckford says Daylight Saving Time makes his job much easier.
“Our mission here is to rescue donkeys that need homes or are abused,” said Eckford. “We like Daylight Saving Time because we really enjoy the recent extension of daylight into the evening because we have got a lot of special needs animals that need to get coats on and things like that.”
The late sunlight helps extend the non-profit’s workday.
“We don’t have any lighting so that helps a lot to be able to end the day more effectively without having flashlights or putting in extensions or things like that. We do okay in the dark in the morning because we don’t have that much to do other than mixing food and putting it out, but we really don’t like to work in the dark.”
Others want to end Daylight Saving Time altogether.
“We just need to go back to the regular time,” said Pat Gostanian, a Pismo Beach visitor. “Coming from a family of farmers, the animals know what time it is whether you have a clock there or not.”
“I don’t like going back and forth,” said John Paige, a Nipomo resident. “I would like to go back an hour, pretend it’s fall, and just stay there because I think it’s important for kids to have daylight when they’re going to school.”
“I would rather just set it and forget it,” Seth Austin, a Pismo Beach visitor. “I have four kids and I get up every morning and drive them to school. I get used to the sunrise coming up at a certain time and all of sudden we come back from break and it’s dark again.”
Some people say the change in time has a negative impact on people's health.
“I worked in the hospital 12-hour shifts at night and that already kind of messes with your circadian rhythm,” said Austin.
“I was a nurse and we saw a lot of patients that came in with cardiac events when you had the time change,” said Gostanian.
If Daylight Saving Time was year-round, the impact would certainly be felt later in the year.
Sunrises on the Central Coast would begin around 8 a.m.
Sunsets would take place around 5:45 p.m.
