BRISBANE — The city's transient-occupancy tax measure passed easily on Tuesday, with 63.9 percent of voters opting for the tax increase.

Measure G will increase the hotel tax in Brisbane from 10 to 12 percent, a move city council members said was necessary to generate needed income for the small city — income that will stay local and cannot be claimed by the state.

Local hotel representatives opposed the measure, claiming it will hurt business and decrease competitiveness with nearby hotels. But city leaders countered that other cities in the area had already increased their hotel tax to 12 percent without seeing adverse effects.

"I'm delighted that the measure is passing," Mayor Sepi Richardson said upon seeing the early returns. "It's the right thing to do because we were one of the lowest in terms of TOT, so this brings us in line with others."

Reach Julia Scott at 650-348-4340.