Placer County voters said no to a sales tax increase.

Known as Measure M, it was designed to generate$1.6 billion over 30 years that would have been spent on transit.

Two-thirds of the voters were needed to up the sales tax by one-half cent. It failed with only 63.71 percent saying yes.

Voters overwhelmingly — 79.39 percent – agreed that in the future the North Tahoe Public Utility District members should be elected at-large instead of by district.

Placer County is divided into three Assembly districts. Frank Bigelow retained his seat in District 5 and Brian Dahle did the same for District 1. Beth Gaines is giving up her District 6 seat. It is going to another Republican – Kevin Kiley. (Gaines lost her bid to be a supervisor in El Dorado County.)

— Lake Tahoe News staff report