Downtown voters will decide the fate of a $125-million effort to bring a trolley system back to Los Angeles after the City Council on Tuesday agreed to let residents decide on the special tax measure in November. Council members approved formation of a taxing district that encompasses about 7,000 registered voters and 397 acres of land downtown. The measure needs a two-thirds majority to pass.

Under the proposal, property owners would pay a tax proportional to the square footage of their holdings and their property's proximity to the streetcar lines. A condo owner living in a 1,000-square-foot space would pay $200 to $500 a year, while a hotel owner could pay several hundred thousand dollars in assessments. City leaders hope to generate $62.5 million.

Read more . . .