Author name: C-CAR

Before the St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers gave updates about their local stadium situations at the NFL owners meeting last month, they were given strict instructions.

The updates were to be fact based only, and they were to be delivered without emotion and with no projection of a specific disposition or preferred ultimate outcome.

“Straight and to the point and with no bias,” said an NFL executive who attended the updates.

The message was clear: Don’t use this meeting to create justification for a move to Los Angeles by delivering dire status reports about your stadium bids back home.

The implication was even more pronounced: With time running out in San Diego and Oakland to deliver viable stadium plans to keep the Chargers and Raiders, and with Rams owner Stan Kroenke seemingly intent on moving his club to Inglewood, the NFL is already bracing for a three-team fight for the one or two spots available in the Los Angeles area.

It’s both the blessing and curse of the very situation the NFL hoped to create on the road back to the second-biggest market in the country after it embarrassingly sat vacant for more than two decades: A competitive L.A. environment in which multiple, viable stadium plans are on the table and urgency in current NFL cities to help finance new stadiums to keep their teams.

Problem is, the two teams that might actually need Los Angeles are pitted against a multi-billionaire owner who might not need L.A. as much as he simply wants it.

And the NFL will only support one Los Angeles stadium.

On one side is the Chargers and Raiders joint stadium project in Carson, a back-up plan to their fading stadium fights in San Diego and Oakland, where taxpayer appetite for funding stadiums is nonexistent. On the other, Kroenke’s Inglewood stadium, which is looking more and more like his Plan A regardless of what Missouri leaders come up with by way of public assistance to help build the Rams a new stadium in downtown St. Louis.

The Chargers and Raiders may need Los Angeles.

Kroenke might just want it.

Figuring out how to satisfy the needs and wants of all three teams is the perplexing puzzle facing the NFL.

“At the end of the day, all three clubs should be be satisfied with the outcome,” an NFL executive said.

But how?

Short of San Diego or Oakland stepping forward with satisfactory stadium plans for the Chargers and Raiders, which seems to be a long shot at this point, or Kroenke surprising everyone by accepting the stadium proposal Missouri leaders are hammering away at, the NFL is headed toward a potentially ugly fight in which owners will be asked to take sides with or against one other.

Worse, if it ultimately comes down to a vote, the team or teams losing out will report back to their local markets with tails decidedly between their legs and left vulnerable while trying to revive new stadium talks.

In other words, not exactly the look the NFL wants for one or two of its owners.

Avoiding that exact scenario will take flexibility, compromise and an open mind.

“Owners understand the benefits of a competitive situation, but also do not relish the thought of a fellow owner being damaged by the process,” an NFL executive said. “(So) the outcome or outcomes that solves the three riddles of the three teams would be very much sought.”

So how do they do that?

Let’s start with the premise Kroenke has his heart set on Los Angeles, regardless what happens in Missouri. And let’s say San Diego and Oakland can’t deliver viable stadium plans for the Chargers and Raiders.

Kroenke will argue the lease clause St. Louis agreed to upon luring the Rams from Southern California 20 years ago – and ultimately reneged on – means he is a free agent not bound to any specific market. He’ll also argue the Rams, with all their L.A. history and ready-made fan base, offer the NFL the best chance to succeed in L.A.

But his case for relocation is weakened if Missouri comes up with $400 million in public money to help build him a new stadium, and San Diego and Oakland can’t do the same for the Chargers and Raiders.

Not to mention the Chargers and Raiders Carson plan is real, viable and very well respected within the NFL.

So the NFL tells Kroenke he only gets support for Los Angeles on two conditions: He accepts the Chargers or Raiders as a partner in Inglewood – and plays fair negotiating terms – and is willing to give up some short-term financial gain to help another team get a local stadium deal done.

Raiders owner Mark Davis has stated over and over his wish to remain in the Bay Area, and the land on which he hopes to build a $900-million dollar stadium is already entitled. So the Raiders seem like the logical team to stay put.

But they need help closing a $400 million funding gap – and that doesn’t include the land and infrastructure costs, which the city of Oakland and Alameda County must kick in.

Here is a way to help close it: $200 million of whatever relocation fee the Rams and Chargers pay for the right to move to L.A. will go to the Raiders stadium cause. In addition, $100 million from a combination of rent, naming rights, personal seat license, and some of the eventual financial windfall from future Super Bowls will be re-directed to a new Raiders stadium.

That brings the Raiders and NFL contribution up to $800 million. It would behoove Davis and local leaders to think long and hard about ways to close the remaining $100 million gap. But that’s a hell of a lot easier than coming up with $400 million.

Of course, the big if in that scenario is Oakland and Alameda playing ball on the land needed to build a new stadium, and coming up with some financing help.

If they do, and if Kroenke, the Chargers and the NFL have an open mind, there will be no need for an ugly, contentious vote.

The Raiders get a new stadium in Oakland, Kroenke gets his Los Angeles wish and the Chargers get a new home that provides long-term financial stability.

It might not be ideal, especially for St. Louis Rams fans, but it’s a satisfactory outcome for all three teams.

Follow the latest twists and turns on Vincent Bonsignore’s NFL in L.A. blog.

GENEVA >> U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry broke his leg in a bicycle crash Sunday after striking a curb, and scrapped the rest of a four-nation trip that included an international conference on combating the Islamic State group.

Kerry was in stable condition and in good spirits as he prepared to return to Boston for further treatment with the doctor who previously operated on his hip, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said. He said X-rays at a Swiss hospital confirmed that Kerry fractured his right femur.

“The secretary is stable and never lost consciousness, his injury is not life-threatening and he is expected to make a full recovery,” Kirby said in a statement.

Kerry, 71, was taken by helicopter to Geneva’s main medical center, HUG, after hitting a curb with his bike near Scionzier, France, about 40 kilometers southeast of the Swiss border.

Paramedics and a physician were on the scene with his motorcade at the time and provided him immediate attention. They quickly decided to order the 10-minute-long helicopter transport.

The Dauphine Libere, a local newspaper, said Kerry fell near the beginning of his ride to the famed mountain pass called the Col de la Colombiere, which has been a route for the Tour de France more than a dozen times.

Right around the time of his fall, a Twitter feed about local driving conditions warned of the danger due to gravel along the pass. But U.S. officials said there was no gravel on the road where the accident occurred. According to the newspaper, some Haute Savoie officials were with Kerry at the time, including the head of the region.

Kerry’s regular plane was returning to the United States carrying much of his staff and reporters who accompanied on the trip.

The secretary of state planned to fly back late Sunday aboard a plane with special medical equipment “to ensure he remains comfortable and stable throughout the flight,” Kirby said. “Its use is nothing more than a prudent medical step on the advice of physicians.”

Kerry’s cycling rides have become a regular occurrence on his trips. He often takes his bike with him on the plane and was riding that bicycle Sunday.

During discussions in late March and early April between world powers and Iran, Kerry took several bike trips during breaks. Those talks were in Lausanne, Switzerland, and led to a framework agreement.

Kerry had been in Geneva for six hours of meetings with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday as the sides now work to seal a comprehensive accord by June 30.

The prospect of a lengthy rehabilitation could hamper the nuclear talks and other diplomatic endeavors. Even if Kerry does not need surgery, it was not immediately known when he could fly again after returning to the United States.

Kerry has been the lead negotiator in several marathon sessions with Iran going back to 2013. The injury could affect other potential trips, such as one to the Cuban capital to raise the flag at a restored U.S. Embassy.

As for the current trip, Kerry had planned to travel to Madrid on Sunday for meetings with Spain’s king and prime minister, before spending two days in Paris for an international gathering to combat IS.

He will participate in the Paris conference remotely, Kirby said.

Kerry decided to seek treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital because the fracture is near the site of his earlier hip surgery, Kirby said.

Associated Press writer Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report.

GENEVA >> U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry broke his leg in a bicycle crash Sunday after striking a curb, and scrapped the rest of a four-nation trip that included an international conference on combating the Islamic State group.

Kerry was in stable condition and in good spirits as he prepared to return to Boston for further treatment with the doctor who previously operated on his hip, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said. He said X-rays at a Swiss hospital confirmed that Kerry fractured his right femur.

“The secretary is stable and never lost consciousness, his injury is not life-threatening and he is expected to make a full recovery,” Kirby said in a statement.

Kerry, 71, was taken by helicopter to Geneva’s main medical center, HUG, after hitting a curb with his bike near Scionzier, France, about 40 kilometers southeast of the Swiss border.

Paramedics and a physician were on the scene with his motorcade at the time and provided him immediate attention. They quickly decided to order the 10-minute-long helicopter transport.

The Dauphine Libere, a local newspaper, said Kerry fell near the beginning of his ride to the famed mountain pass called the Col de la Colombiere, which has been a route for the Tour de France more than a dozen times.

Right around the time of his fall, a Twitter feed about local driving conditions warned of the danger due to gravel along the pass. But U.S. officials said there was no gravel on the road where the accident occurred. According to the newspaper, some Haute Savoie officials were with Kerry at the time, including the head of the region.

Kerry’s regular plane was returning to the United States carrying much of his staff and reporters who accompanied on the trip.

The secretary of state planned to fly back late Sunday aboard a plane with special medical equipment “to ensure he remains comfortable and stable throughout the flight,” Kirby said. “Its use is nothing more than a prudent medical step on the advice of physicians.”

Kerry’s cycling rides have become a regular occurrence on his trips. He often takes his bike with him on the plane and was riding that bicycle Sunday.

During discussions in late March and early April between world powers and Iran, Kerry took several bike trips during breaks. Those talks were in Lausanne, Switzerland, and led to a framework agreement.

Kerry had been in Geneva for six hours of meetings with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday as the sides now work to seal a comprehensive accord by June 30.

The prospect of a lengthy rehabilitation could hamper the nuclear talks and other diplomatic endeavors. Even if Kerry does not need surgery, it was not immediately known when he could fly again after returning to the United States.

Kerry has been the lead negotiator in several marathon sessions with Iran going back to 2013. The injury could affect other potential trips, such as one to the Cuban capital to raise the flag at a restored U.S. Embassy.

As for the current trip, Kerry had planned to travel to Madrid on Sunday for meetings with Spain’s king and prime minister, before spending two days in Paris for an international gathering to combat IS.

He will participate in the Paris conference remotely, Kirby said.

Kerry decided to seek treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital because the fracture is near the site of his earlier hip surgery, Kirby said.

Associated Press writer Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report.

POMONA >> Lindsay Ann Prieto was always ready to help others particularly when she thought someone was struggling in some way, her mother said Thursday.

Moments before she died on April 24, Prieto had been at a fast food restaurant on the northeast corner of Garey Avenue and Philadelphia Street where she bought coffee for a homeless woman who she had befriended, said Cecelia Juarez-Garcia, Prieto’s mother.

“She was a very giving person,” Juarez-Garcia said. “She always wanted to share.”

At 4 p.m. Sunday about 100 friends, family and others will gather at Philadelphia Park, 6000 Philadelphia St., before starting a memorial walk to celebrate Prieto’s life, her mother said.

Shortly after buying coffee for her friend, Prieto told her friend she would be back in a moment but she didn’t return.

Prieto was in a crosswalk at Garey Avenue and Rio Rancho Road at about the 8:30 p.m. April 24 when she was hit by a vehicle that immediately left the scene, Pomona police said.

With the help of information provided by witnesses, officers were able to track down the driver and arrested Christopher Acosta, 29, of Ontario on suspicion of felony hit and run and causing injury or death, Pomona police said.

Acosta, a high school teacher with the Pomona Unified School District, was put on administrative leave soon after, said Pomona Unified Superintendent Richard Martinez.

“He’s been out of the classroom since (the incident) happened,” Martinez said.

The school district has been in contact with the police and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and will be monitoring the legal proceedings before determining how to proceed next, he said.

At this point the investigation into the incident has not been completed, said Pomona police Lt. Christian Hsu.

Investigators are still doing work on the case, he said. Investigators are also waiting for the results of toxicology tests being carried out on a sample of Acosta’s blood.

If the toxicology tests find the presence of alcohol or drugs then members of the District Attorney’s Office will amend the charges, Hsu said.

The night Prieto died five people came to her aid, Juarez-Garcia said.

With her was the homeless woman for whom Prieto bought coffee.

“She was there at the very end with her,” Juarez-Garcia said.

Pomona resident Albert Ramirez was about six cars away from the incident but he got out of his car to try to aid Prieto. Pomona police Officer Art Cruz arrived and tried tirelessly to revive her daughter, Juarez-Garcia said.

Juarez-Garcia said she arrived at the scene and attempted to reach her daughter’s body. She knew her daughter was dead but she wanted to pray beside her but because the area was a crime scene she couldn’t approach her.

Pomona police Cpl. J.T. Garcia heard what she wanted to do.

“He did it for me. He got on his knees and he prayed for her,” Juarez-Garcia said.

Later Juarez-Garcia learned that back at the police dispatch center, dispatcher Robin Oliver researched data bases and helped officers find the alleged hit and run driver.

“It gave me strength to know people care,” she said.

The memorial walk taking place Sunday will begin at the park and will take participants to Garey Avenue and Rio Rancho Road before returning to the park. At the park the Rev. Allen Stretch, pastor of Vineyard Community Church, will speak about Prieto.

The walk is a way to remember her daughter and keep her in people’s minds and give her a voice as the proceedings into her case move along, Juarez-Garcia said.

“She may have been killed but she’s still in our memory,” Juarez-Garcia said. “She is very much alive in our hearts.”

POMONA >> Lindsay Ann Prieto was always ready to help others particularly when she thought someone was struggling in some way, her mother said Thursday.

Moments before she died on April 24, Prieto had been at a fast food restaurant on the northeast corner of Garey Avenue and Philadelphia Street where she bought coffee for a homeless woman who she had befriended, said Cecelia Juarez-Garcia, Prieto’s mother.

“She was a very giving person,” Juarez-Garcia said. “She always wanted to share.”

At 4 p.m. Sunday about 100 friends, family and others will gather at Philadelphia Park, 6000 Philadelphia St., before starting a memorial walk to celebrate Prieto’s life, her mother said.

Shortly after buying coffee for her friend, Prieto told her friend she would be back in a moment but she didn’t return.

Prieto was in a crosswalk at Garey Avenue and Rio Rancho Road at about the 8:30 p.m. April 24 when she was hit by a vehicle that immediately left the scene, Pomona police said.

With the help of information provided by witnesses, officers were able to track down the driver and arrested Christopher Acosta, 29, of Ontario on suspicion of felony hit and run and causing injury or death, Pomona police said.

Acosta, a high school teacher with the Pomona Unified School District, was put on administrative leave soon after, said Pomona Unified Superintendent Richard Martinez.

“He’s been out of the classroom since (the incident) happened,” Martinez said.

The school district has been in contact with the police and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and will be monitoring the legal proceedings before determining how to proceed next, he said.

At this point the investigation into the incident has not been completed, said Pomona police Lt. Christian Hsu.

Investigators are still doing work on the case, he said. Investigators are also waiting for the results of toxicology tests being carried out on a sample of Acosta’s blood.

If the toxicology tests find the presence of alcohol or drugs then members of the District Attorney’s Office will amend the charges, Hsu said.

The night Prieto died five people came to her aid, Juarez-Garcia said.

With her was the homeless woman for whom Prieto bought coffee.

“She was there at the very end with her,” Juarez-Garcia said.

Pomona resident Albert Ramirez was about six cars away from the incident but he got out of his car to try to aid Prieto. Pomona police Officer Art Cruz arrived and tried tirelessly to revive her daughter, Juarez-Garcia said.

Juarez-Garcia said she arrived at the scene and attempted to reach her daughter’s body. She knew her daughter was dead but she wanted to pray beside her but because the area was a crime scene she couldn’t approach her.

Pomona police Cpl. J.T. Garcia heard what she wanted to do.

“He did it for me. He got on his knees and he prayed for her,” Juarez-Garcia said.

Later Juarez-Garcia learned that back at the police dispatch center, dispatcher Robin Oliver researched data bases and helped officers find the alleged hit and run driver.

“It gave me strength to know people care,” she said.

The memorial walk taking place Sunday will begin at the park and will take participants to Garey Avenue and Rio Rancho Road before returning to the park. At the park the Rev. Allen Stretch, pastor of Vineyard Community Church, will speak about Prieto.

The walk is a way to remember her daughter and keep her in people’s minds and give her a voice as the proceedings into her case move along, Juarez-Garcia said.

“She may have been killed but she’s still in our memory,” Juarez-Garcia said. “She is very much alive in our hearts.”

COLTON >> A man killed in a rollover crash Tuesday evening in Colton has been identified as 54-year-old Kirk Leroy Console, according to the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office.

Police officers received a 9-1-1 call for a crash just before 5 p.m. in the 2700 block of South Dark Canyon Road.

They discovered that Console, of Colton, was driving a 1953 Jeep truck when it rolled, throwing the man from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Colton Police Department is investigating the collision.

COLTON >> A man killed in a rollover crash Tuesday evening in Colton has been identified as 54-year-old Kirk Leroy Console, according to the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office.

Police officers received a 9-1-1 call for a crash just before 5 p.m. in the 2700 block of South Dark Canyon Road.

They discovered that Console, of Colton, was driving a 1953 Jeep truck when it rolled, throwing the man from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Colton Police Department is investigating the collision.

JURUPA VALLEY >> An alleged pickup truck thief was arrested in Jurupa Valley on Sunday after leading police on a chase and then crashing the vehicle, according to authorities.

Around 10:45 a.m., officers spotted pickup truck reported stolen earlier in the day that was heading north on Dodd Street at 54th Street, said Sgt. Brandi Swan.

A stop was attempted, but the vehicle, driven by suspect Bryan Wayne Smith, 46, of Jurupa Valley, sped away, Swan said.

Smith ended up crashing the truck through a commercial fence and then attempted to flee on foot from pursuing officers, Swan said.

A helicopter and K-9 search led to the suspect, who was found hiding in thick bush.

Smith was arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle, evading, vandalism and possession of stolen property.

He was booked at the Robert Presley Detention Center and was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

During the course of their investigation, officers executed a search warrant at a home in the 5500 block of Dodd Street, where they found additional stolen property belonging to the truck’s owner, Swan said.

Another suspect at the residence, 56-year-old Mitchell Allen Terry of Jurupa Valley was arrested for alleged possession of stolen property and was being held in lieu of $5,000 bail, she said.

Anyone with information regarding these incidents is urged to contact Deputy Sergio Sanchez at 951-955-2600 or after hours at 1-800-950-2444.

JURUPA VALLEY >> An alleged pickup truck thief was arrested in Jurupa Valley on Sunday after leading police on a chase and then crashing the vehicle, according to authorities.

Around 10:45 a.m., officers spotted pickup truck reported stolen earlier in the day that was heading north on Dodd Street at 54th Street, said Sgt. Brandi Swan.

A stop was attempted, but the vehicle, driven by suspect Bryan Wayne Smith, 46, of Jurupa Valley, sped away, Swan said.

Smith ended up crashing the truck through a commercial fence and then attempted to flee on foot from pursuing officers, Swan said.

A helicopter and K-9 search led to the suspect, who was found hiding in thick bush.

Smith was arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle, evading, vandalism and possession of stolen property.

He was booked at the Robert Presley Detention Center and was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

During the course of their investigation, officers executed a search warrant at a home in the 5500 block of Dodd Street, where they found additional stolen property belonging to the truck’s owner, Swan said.

Another suspect at the residence, 56-year-old Mitchell Allen Terry of Jurupa Valley was arrested for alleged possession of stolen property and was being held in lieu of $5,000 bail, she said.

Anyone with information regarding these incidents is urged to contact Deputy Sergio Sanchez at 951-955-2600 or after hours at 1-800-950-2444.