If you live in Arizona or Sonora, Mx you may not have noticed that Daylight Saving Time has ended in Mexico. That would be because neither Arizona nor Sonora observes Daylight Saving Time. Ever. At all. Just carry on as usual.
For the rest of Mexico and the USA, it means that until next weekend the time in Mexico has regressed one hour and you'll have to plan accordingly. A fun factoid: I understand that if you cross the border from Mexico into Texas this week, you'll arrive in the USA an hour before you left Mexico. How cool is that?
You may remember that back in 2007 the USA expanded DST as an energy saving measure. Canada obligingly went along with the change, but Mexico did not. And of course since the state of Sonora is so closely tied to Arizona and Arizona doesn't observe DST at all, Sonora opted out entirely.
Known as el horario de verano, DST has been observed in Mexico since 1996, and is observed from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. In the USA, Daylight Saving Time was extended one month so the new schedule is from the second Sunday in March to 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November (that's Nov. 1 this year).
The time difference gets even more confusing come Spring, especially for our friends over in Baja. DST begins March 14, 2010 in the USA, but in Mexico it doesn't begin until April 4. That means that for three weeks workers living in Mexico and working in California or Texas will have to get up one hour earlier to get to work on time. Arizona workers living in Mexico will be feeling pretty superior to their California/Texas worker counterparts for that three weeks. BUT, once Mexico "Springs Ahead" (April 4), the Baja Residents who work in California/Texas will be on the same clocks, whereas any Baja residents who work in Arizona will lose an hour for six months.
Whew.
Regarding that "energy saving" plan for DST in the USA, you may also remember that in 2007 the up-to $100,000 tax deduction for gas guzzling vehicles like Hummers was hacked to a mere $25,000 (the $100,000 deduction was rammed through Congress in 2003). I wonder if that DST extension saved enough energy to cover the energy used by those Hummers? Anyone have any stats on just how much energy the USA really saved by making those changes to its time grid?
And I wonder if Daylight Saving Time will ever get set back to its historic dates, or if we're stuck with this forever and ever amen?
And that's all the Buzz on the Beach for today.
Peace out...
About Beach Buzz: Not necessarily the news, this is a place for information, opinion, speculation, gossip, tips and other good stuff about Rocky Point, and Mexico in general. Have opinions to air, anecdotes to share, tips or tidbits to contribute? I'd like to hear from you!
Email me: La Huerita
