Proposal advances Los Angeles-area stadium that could become home for NFL team

In this Jan. 17, 2012, file photo, St. Louis Rams team owner Stan Kroenke speaks at the press conference in St. Louis. A newspaper reports the owner of the Rams plans to build an NFL stadium in Los Angeles County, boosting the chances that pro football could return to the region. (Tom Gannam / AP Photo)

LOS ANGELES - A proposal to build an 80,000-seat stadium in the Los Angeles suburbs that could become the home of an NFL team has taken a step forward.

Los Angeles County election officials said Thursday they have verified enough petition signatures to allow the plan to go before voters in Inglewood, where the stadium would be built.

That vote could come in June.

A development group that includes a company controlled by St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke announced plans to build the stadium last month.

The proposal envisions a stadium rising on the site of a former horse track. It raises the possibility again that Los Angeles could get an NFL team after a two-decade drought.

If voters approve, stadium construction could begin in about a year.