Local Politics · El Dorado County
Early unofficial results from El Dorado County's Nov. 3 election showed Measure S, a proposed 30-year sales tax increase for hospitals, fire agencies and wildfire prevention, trailing with 66.6% "no" votes to 33.4% "yes" as of 10 p.m. The measure needed a simple majority to pass and would have raised the county's sales tax by three-eighths of a cent, generating an estimated $13 million annually. Marshall Medical Center in Placerville helped develop the proposal, citing its need for approximately $40 million in seismic upgrades at the only acute care hospital on the county's West Slope. Tax rates would have risen to 7.625% in unincorporated areas, 8.625% in Placerville and 9.125% in South Lake Tahoe.
Crime · El Dorado County
Benjamin Edward Cunha, 44, of Orangevale, pleaded no contest to all 41 felony charges related to planting improvised explosive devices along roads and highways in El Dorado County and Sacramento County between December 2022 and January 2024. The El Dorado County District Attorney's Office confirmed the plea Monday, noting it was not part of a plea deal; Cunha faces a maximum sentence exceeding 80 years. Prosecutors detailed 18 incidents in El Dorado County and 23 in Sacramento County, including counts of using destructive devices, possessing explosives without a permit, firearm possession by a convicted felon, and child endangerment. Cunha was previously convicted in federal court in 2016 for setting at least 30 fires east of Sacramento while serving as a volunteer firefighter. Sentencing is scheduled for January 29 before El Dorado Superior Court Judge Thomas Smith.
Crime · South Lake Tahoe, CA
Tamara Le Ann Wallace, 56, a former mayor of South Lake Tahoe, pleaded guilty on Nov. 3, 2026, to one count of wire fraud for embezzling approximately $390,000 from a South Lake Tahoe church where she worked as a part-time bookkeeper starting in 2018. Between April 2019 and September 2025, Wallace issued unauthorized reimbursement checks to herself and made electronic transfers into personal accounts while falsifying the church's financial records. The theft nearly caused the church to close, forcing it to reduce programming and take out multiple loans. Wallace resigned from public office in October 2025 and faces sentencing on Jan. 14, 2027, with a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Local Politics · El Dorado County
In unofficial early results as of 10 p.m. Nov. 3, Ted Gaines led Gina Posey 54.2% to 45.5% in the El Dorado County 4th District supervisor race. The winner replaces outgoing Supervisor Lori Parlin on a board focused on cutting costs, boosting revenue and mitigating wildfire risks. Voters also weighed Measure S, a proposed three-eighths-cent county sales tax increase for hospital improvements, wildfire prevention and emergency response; early results showed about 66% opposition.
