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Daylight saving, Santa Monica's woes , dating co-workers and more
A selection of vintage clocks are displayed at the Electric Time Company, Thursday, March 9, 2023, in Medfield, Mass.
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Charles Krupa
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AP
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Today on AirTalk: Daylight savings, Santa Monica's business woes, sharks in California, dating co-workers and unruly kids in restaurants.
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Should we get rid of daylight saving time? Congress is considering it.
The topic:
Both houses of Congress are looking at establishing daylight saving time as the federal, year-round clock. Most states switch their clocks between daylight saving time and standard time each year. So could a standardized choice, like a national DST, be helpful?
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25:54
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Larry talks with LAist listeners.
The options: There are advocates on every side of the issue: some say we should only have daylight saving time to keep the day going well into the later evening hours, while others say sticking with standard time would be better overall, and in the middle, there are those who say our current dual system is fine as is.
Impact on California: If this were to become law, the state would plan to align itself with the federal government. The reason being the passing of Proposition 7 in 2018 — which allowed state legislators to switch California entirely to daylight saving time should the federal government move to permanent DST.
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Santa Monica’s financial woes
A beachgoer shakes a blanket at Santa Monica Beach on May 21, 2026.
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Justin Sullivan
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Getty Images
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The topic:
Santa Monica has long been one of SoCal’s postcard destinations, drawing millions of visitors to its beaches, pier, and the 3rd Street Promenade. But after the pandemic, the Westside city has struggled to recover, leaving storefronts vacant and ongoing concerns about homelessness and public safety in what was once one of the region’s busiest pedestrian shopping districts.
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23:35
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Guest: Rick Cole, current Pasadena City Councilmember, and Paul Kiernan, economics reporter for The Wall Street Journal.
The Promenade: The 3rd Street Promenade in downtown Santa Monica has particularly suffered since the pandemic. City leaders remain hopeful as they hedge their bets on new restaurants and entertainment venues around the area ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games. Still, critics argue challenges run deeper than a typical city’s post-pandemic recovery.
More about our guests:
- Rick Cole, current Pasadena City Council member
- Paul Kiernan, economics reporter for The Wall Street Journal based in Los Angeles
We check in on California’s shark craze with CSULB’s Shark Lab
The great white shark population is experiencing a resurgence in California
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Dave J Hogan
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Getty Images Europe
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The topic:
California is expected to have a shark-filled summer as warmer temperatures move sharks to our cooler waters. Cal State Long Beach’s Shark Lab director, Chris Lowe, shares why this is and what their research can tell us about California’s shark population.
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12:04
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Guest: Dr. Chris Lowe, professor of marine biology and director of the Shark Lab at Cal State, Long Beach
El Niño: An ocean lousy with sharks is just another side effect of this year’s highly anticipated super El Niño. Research out of the Shark Lab shows that during El Niño conditions, great whites migrate to California’s cooler waters to escape marine heatwaves.
Should we all be dating our co-workers more?
What are your thoughts on dating a co-worker?
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mapo
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iStockphoto
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The topic:
Dating co-workers used to be one of the most common ways for people to couple up, but in recent years the practice has seen a sharp decline, with only 16% of people going on a date with a colleague last year. Today, we look at why the practice fell out of style and what unique benefits these arrangements hold.
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20:45
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Guest: Paul Eastwick, author, UC Davis professor and host of the Love Factually podcast
The pros: There’s only so much you can glean from someone over the course of a few months of once-a-week dates. When you work with someone, you get to see how they handle different, sometimes stressful, situations and see them at their highs and lows.
The cons: Unwanted romantic advances are one of the banes of the HR world, and can cause headaches for both the companies employing coupled-up co-workers, and the co-workers themselves if they later break up.
More about our guest:
- Paul Eastwick, professor of psychology at UC Davis, author of Bonded by Evolution: The New Science of Love and Connection (Crown, February 10, 2026), and host of the Love Factually podcast
Unruly kids lead to steeper bills at this restaurant
What's your experience with kids in restaurants?
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AnnaNahabed
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iStockphoto
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The topic:
A Bay Area restaurateur has made headlines for his eatery’s unique policy on misbehaving kids: charging their parents for the disruption — or destruction — they cause. Today, we speak with the restaurant owner and hear from listeners what they think about the policy.
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16:49
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Guest: You You Xue, Bay Area restaurateur and owner of restaurant Chez Xue in Foster City
The restaurant: Chez Xue is located in Foster City in the Bay Area, and has charged customers at times over $300 for the damage their children have caused. Owner You You Xue has said he’s not anti-kid and that he himself is a father, but rather that he expects a certain level of etiquette from diners.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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