What Time Zone Is California In?

California runs on Pacific Time. That's it. From San Diego to Sacramento, from the coast to the Nevada border, the whole state uses the same timezone. No exceptions, no weird pockets with different rules.

If you're scheduling a call with someone in LA, San Francisco, or anywhere else in California, you're dealing with Pacific Time. Here's what you need to know.

Pacific Time: The Basics

California uses Pacific Time Zone, which means:

• Winter (PST): UTC-8
• Summer (PDT): UTC-7

The whole state follows the same clock. No confusion like some other states where different regions use different zones.

| When | Abbreviation | UTC Offset |

|------|--------------|------------|

| Winter | PST | UTC-8 |

| Summer | PDT | UTC-7 |

Quick references:

• 3 hours behind Eastern Time (New York, Miami, Boston)
• 8 hours behind London in winter, 7 in summer (because both do DST)

PST vs PDT (The DST Dance)

California does Daylight Saving Time, so the abbreviation changes twice a year. Same timezone, different offset.

PST (Pacific Standard Time) — Winter

November through early March. UTC-8.

The sun sets early. It gets dark by 5 PM in winter. This is "standard" time, the baseline.

PDT (Pacific Daylight Time) — Summer

March through October. UTC-7.

Sun sets later. Long summer evenings. You spring forward an hour in March, fall back an hour in November.

2026 Clock Changes

• Spring forward: March 9, 2026, 2 AM becomes 3 AM (PST → PDT)
• Fall back: November 2, 2026, 2 AM becomes 1 AM (PDT → PST)

Yes, you lose an hour of sleep in March. Yes, you gain it back in November. For all the DST dates worldwide, check when clocks change in 2026.

Every California City Uses Pacific Time

LA, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento—doesn't matter. They're all on the same clock.

| City | What Part of California | Time Zone |

|------|------------------------|-----------|

| Los Angeles | SoCal | Pacific Time |

| San Francisco | Bay Area | Pacific Time |

| San Diego | SoCal | Pacific Time |

| San Jose | Silicon Valley | Pacific Time |

| Sacramento | Central Valley | Pacific Time |

| Oakland | Bay Area | Pacific Time |

| Fresno | Central Valley | Pacific Time |

| Palo Alto | Silicon Valley | Pacific Time |

Unlike states like Texas or Florida where you might hit different timezones as you drive around, California's simple. One state, one timezone, no surprises.

Silicon Valley Works on Pacific Time (But Starts Late)

Apple, Google, Meta, thousands of startups—they're all on Pacific Time. But here's the thing about tech: people don't start at 9 AM.

Real Tech Working Hours

| Pattern | Hours (PT) | What This Really Means |

|---------|-----------|----------------------|

| Core hours | 10 AM - 4 PM | When most people are actually at their desk |

| Full day | 9 AM - 6 PM | "Traditional" hours (that nobody follows) |

| Startup hours | 8 AM - 8 PM | Flexible, chaotic, depends on the role |

Most Silicon Valley employees roll in around 10 AM. Some earlier, many later. If you're scheduling an important call, aim for 10 AM - noon PT—that's when you'll actually catch people.

When to Call California From Elsewhere

| You're In | Your Best Window | California Time |

|-----------|------------------|-----------------|

| New York | Noon - 5 PM EST | 9 AM - 2 PM PT |

| London | 4 PM - 9 PM GMT | 8 AM - 1 PM PT |

| Tokyo | 1 AM - 6 AM JST | 8 AM - 1 PM PT |

| Sydney | 2 AM - 7 AM AEST | 8 AM - 1 PM PT |

| Berlin | 5 PM - 10 PM CET | 8 AM - 1 PM PT |

Tokyo and Sydney folks: yeah, those windows suck. You're either staying up late or waking up brutally early. Welcome to working with the West Coast.

California vs Other US Timezones

Here's how Pacific Time compares to the rest of the US:

| Other Zone | How Far Ahead of California | Cities |

|------------|----------------------------|--------|

| Eastern | 3 hours ahead | New York, Miami, Boston |

| Central | 2 hours ahead | Chicago, Dallas, Houston |

| Mountain | 1 hour ahead | Denver, Phoenix |

| Alaska | 1 hour behind | Anchorage |

| Hawaii | 2-3 hours behind | Honolulu |

For a deeper comparison of Pacific vs Eastern, I've written a full guide: Pacific Time vs Eastern Time.

Real Scheduling Examples

California to New York

3-hour gap. Pretty easy.

• 9 AM PT = noon ET (you're starting, they're at lunch)
• 11 AM PT = 2 PM ET (good midday overlap)
• 2 PM PT = 5 PM ET (your afternoon, their end-of-day)

Plenty of overlap. This combo's not hard.

California to Europe

8-9 hour gap. Tight window.

• 8 AM PT = 4 PM GMT / 5 PM CET (you're early, they're wrapping up)
• Best overlap: 7-10 AM PT to catch European afternoon

You need to wake up early or accept catching them after work.

California to Asia

15-18 hour gap. It's rough.

• 7 AM PT = midnight Tokyo (next day)
• 6 PM PT = 11 AM Tokyo (next day)

There's basically no good overlap. Someone's always staying up late or waking up early.

Use Meeting Planner to find the least painful times across multiple zones.

Quick Conversions

From UTC:

• PST (winter): UTC minus 8 hours
• PDT (summer): UTC minus 7 hours

When it's noon somewhere else, California is at:

| Noon In | California Time |

|---------|----------------|

| New York | 9 AM PT |

| London | 4 AM PT |

| Paris | 3 AM PT |

| Tokyo | 7 PM PT (previous day) |

| Sydney | 5 PM PT (previous day) |

Just Use a Tool

Look, you could do the math every time. Or you could use Meeting Planner and let it handle:

• DST transitions (PST ↔ PDT)
• Timezone conversions from anywhere
• Finding optimal windows when everyone's actually awake
• Visual display of when people overlap

Whether you're coordinating with Silicon Valley, calling LA, or scheduling with San Francisco, knowing Pacific Time means you won't accidentally call someone at 5 AM.

Ready to schedule? Use Meeting Planner to find a time that works. If you're in Europe working with California, check out best time to call between US and Europe.