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Speaker seeks to abolish daylight saving time

Irwin M. Goldberg

Nevadans will get fewer hours of summer sunlight if Speaker of the Assembly Joe Dini, D-Yerington, is able to get legislation passed exempting Nevada from Daylight Saving Time. But the move may also hurt businesses who depend on tourists from California.

Dini’s secretary, Paula Winne, said Dini introduced the bill May 2 at the request of his constituents.

“He had a lot of constituents request this during the interim (between sessions),” she said.



If passed, beginning Jan. 1, 1998, the state would no longer advance the clocks on the first Sunday of April. Arizona and Hawaii currently adhere to this procedure.

Some businesses and their representatives have concerns that if passed, the law would make the area less appealing and more difficult to navigate for tourists.



“It would put us in an interesting position because we work closely with communities in California,” said Mike Glover, sales manager for the Incline Village and Crystal Bay Visitors’ and Convention Bureau.

The North Shore casinos and businesses would be in the same dilemma as South Shore properties.

“On South Shore you could walk from Embassy Suites to Harrah’s and lose an hour,” Glover said.

While locals would likely get used to it with time, Glover feared the change would impact international travelers who would have no idea about the change.

“I don’t like the idea,” he said.

Heinz Gartlgruber, general manager at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe, had a similar reaction.

“If California would change, then I don’t think it would affect us. If not, then I don’t think it is a good idea,” Gartlgruber said. “It won’t work if California is on a different time.”

The Lake Tahoe Gaming Alliance wasn’t aware of the proposed bill, but Steve Teshara, executive director, said he, too, was concerned about the implications.

“On the face of it, it sounds ludicrous. We already deal with a number of challenges being a bi-state area,” he said. “From the standpoint of a resort destination, people live lighter and later and it seems contrary to what Nevada is about.”

Aside from the issue of tourists, employees of Nevada businesses who live in California would also be affected.

The bill is currently awaiting a hearing in the Assembly Government Affairs Committee but none had been scheduled at press time.


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