3-13-22 Newsletter: Time Clocks, Gas Pumps, and a Member Survey

Greetings, California Locals, and welcome to our second member newsletter and the first 24 hours of daylight saving time in 2022. We’ve got a couple of articles to share today, including an explainer on what the heck is behind this semiannual tinkering with time. We also look at the silver linings behind skyrocketing gas prices (there are some), and recommend some of the best podcasts about the Golden State. Plus, you’ll find links to top stories from our California Local Media Allies and other Santa Cruz County media outlets.

Speaking of media, in addition to publishing our own articles, we are passionate consumers of local news. On the Santa Cruz County Media page, we strive to provide a comprehensive list of all local media, from daily newspapers to community weeklies to one-person blogs. And we would like your help in ensuring that we’re covering all the media bases. All we need is a few minutes of your time to complete the Santa Cruz County Local News Survey. Your answers will guide our coverage in the future.

Wrinkles in Time

On March 13, in every state except Arizona and Hawaii, everyone with older cars and alarm clocks will be struggling to remember how to change the time as we spring forward. But didn't California vote to stop this insanity? Then why, despite the will of the voters, are we stuck with daylight saving time? To understand why, we have to travel back to the past.

Daylight Saving Time, Explained

Californians continue to set clocks back every fall, and ahead each spring.

After a 2018 vote authorizing the state legislature to make daylight saving time year-round, Californians are still changing their clocks twice per year. How did we get here?

Pain (and Gain) at the Pump

Russia’s war on Ukraine has already set off a new surge in oil prices, and the uncertainty in energy markets appears likely to get worse with the ban on Russian oil imports. Rising gas prices are a bad thing politically for any sitting president and anybody in the driver’s seat. But in the long run, for the country and the world as a whole, are high gas prices really that bad?

Gas Prices Are Going Up. Here's Why That's Good

Gas prices are going up. But America has long paid too little for gasoline, along with a low gas tax rate. Is it time for all of that to change?