Where can one check online for free what time is it in California?

You can visit the website of the United States Naval Observatory for current time information for multiple cities around the world. To determine the time in a specific California city, select (UTC−08:00) Pacific Time from the "Select Time Zone" drop-down menu. The current Pacific Standard Time (PST) or Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) will be displayed, depending on whether daylight savings is in effect.

Here's how to access this information:

Using a Computer:

1. Go to the United States Naval Observatory website at the following address:

`https://www.time.gov/current/index.html`

2. Scroll down until you see the section titled "Current Time."

3. Locate the "Select Time Zone" drop-down menu on the right side of the page.

4. Click on the drop-down menu and select "(UTC−08:00) Pacific Time."

5. The displayed time below will be the current PST or PDT for California.

Using a Mobile Device:

1. Open your device's web browser.

2. Navigate to the United States Naval Observatory website.

3. Tap on the "Current Time" section.

4. Tap on the "Select Time Zone" drop-down menu.

5. Select "(UTC−08:00) Pacific Time" from the list of available time zones.

6. The time displayed below the drop-down menu will be the current time for California.