California is one of 33 states across the U.S. that will turn out its lights for an hour beginning 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
That's when people around the world are encouraged to turn out their lights during "Earth Hour" to show support for action on climate change.
It's the third year for the event created by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
California landmarks, such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, will go dark at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
Leslie Aun with Earth Hour says several San Diego locations are also participating.
"Ikea San Diego is taking part, the San Diego Sports Arena is going to shut off its external building lights, the marquee on Sports Arena Boulevard also going dark," Aun said. "The Doubletree San Diego Mission Valley is hosting a candlelight happy hour at their lounge. And a lot of hotels are encouraging guests and staff to participate."
She said other San Diego restaurants and hotels plan special candlelight Earth Hour events Saturday night.
The California State Senate passed a resolution Thursday encouraging California public employees and businesses to recognize the importance of energy conservation by joining the Earth Hour movement and turning off non-essential lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Other sites planning to go dark in California include Nokia Plaza in Los Angeles and the Santa Monica Pier.
Earth Hour is an event in which millions of Americans will turn out their lights for one hour in support of action on climate change.
The event attracted more than 80 million participants in the U.S. last year, and nearly a billion people around the world as lights dimmed at such global icons as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Sydney's Opera House, the Great Pyramids of Gaza and New York's Empire State Building.
Aun said U.S. landmarks such as Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, St. Louis' Gateway Arch, Sea World in Orlando, the strip in Las Vegas, New York's Empire State Building, the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. and the Space Needle in Seattle are among the hundreds of sites that will turn off non-essential lighting for the hour, in what is expected to be the largest-ever call to action on climate change.
Outside the U.S., WWF said they expect more than 800 cities in 80 countries to take part in Earth Hour 2010. Participating cities include Athens, Bangkok, Cape Town, Delhi, Dubai, Geneva, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Manila, Moscow, Rome, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Tel Aviv and Toronto.
Cities participating for the first time include Stockholm and Hiroshima.
