Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's teenaged son is "doing fine" after he was mugged last month, the mayor said Monday — though he said he can't say the same for himself and his wife.

The mayor first thanked everyone who had expressed concerns about his 17-year-old son Zach’s well-being since he was punched in the face and robbed near the family’s Ravenswood home.

“Zach is doing fine. I can’t say the same for his parents, but Zach is doing fine, and that says something about the resilience of teenagers,” he said, adding, “and that is meant to be both tongue-in-cheek as well as serious.”

Police say Zach Emanuel was walking on the 4200 block of North Hermitage talking on his cell phone around 10 p.m. when a man put his arm around the teen’s neck, putting him in a “rear chokehold.”

A second man then punched the teen in the face, knocking him to the ground and forcing him to drop his phone.

The pair took the phone and patted the teen down, asking, “What else you got?” according to the police report. They then told him to enter his security code in the cell phone and fled southbound on Hermitage.

Rahm Emanuel also addressed reporters' questions about the robbery Monday, including one about whether the person with whom Zach was on the phone at the time had heard anything.

“He was on the phone with his college counselor. They obviously heard stuff, and they’ll do the proper work with the police department to do what they need to do,” the mayor said.
 

A group of developers that includes St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke unveiled on Monday plans to build an 80,000-seat NFL stadium as part of a sprawling entertainment, commercial and residential complex in the city of Inglewood.

It's the latest proposal that would return an NFL team to Los Angeles, which hasn't had one since 1994. Kroenke's announcement marks the first time a person who owns an NFL team and enough land to build a stadium and parking has expressed interest in building in LA, according to The Los Angeles Times.

The 298-acre mixed-use development, dubbed "City of Champions Revitalization Project" by backers, would include a 300-room hotel, a 6,000-seat performance venue and more than 1.5 million square feet of retail, office and residential space, according to a press release. A rendering shows an outdoor watering pool, gathering space and a water fountain like Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park.

Kroenke bought the 60-acre parking lot in Inglewood between two former sports venues: the Forum, home to a Lakers dynasty, and Hollywood Park race track one year ago, prompting speculation that Kroenke wanted to bring the Rams to Los Angeles. On Monday, his company The Kroenke Group and the real estate investment management firm Stockbridge Capital Group announced the plans to develop the space under the flag of a joint venure called Hollywood Park Land Company.

"After nearly a decade of collaborating with Inglewood city leaders and residents on the redevelopment of Hollywood Park, we are excited to unveil an expanded plan that will bring a world-class sports and entertainment district to Hollywood Park," Terry Fancher, founder of Stockbridge, said in a statement. "We are committed to working with TKG to build a project that will put Inglewood back on the map as the home of truly great sports and entertainment venues."

Supporters, who say no public funding will be used for construction, plan to gather signatures for a 2015 local ballot measure related to the project.

Kroenke also owns the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and a majority stake in English soccer team Arsenal. He is considered one of three top suitors for an NFL team in Los Angeles, along with the owners of the Raiders and Chargers.

"It'd be great. Give us some jobs, entertainment, all that good stuff," said football fan Robert Tate, of the reported plan. "Hopefully I'll get another job."

The NFL is reportedly interested in bringing a team to the city in 2016.

Inglewood isn't the only location where one of those teams could land. City officials extended an option with the owners of Staples Center to build an 80,000-seat stadium downtwon, next to the 10- and 110-freeway junction, provided a team commits to moving there.

The Rose Bowl and LA Memorial Coliseum could also host a team, at least temporarily, and developers have proposed other locations for a new team.

Homicide investigators are looking into the cause of death for a young woman found on the floor of a Pacific Beach apartment.

A 25-year-old woman was found unconscious inside one of the units at the apartment complex near Oliver Avenue and Morrell Street.

A friend who lives in the apartment called San Diego Police at 11:15 p.m. Sunday, reporting the incident as an attempted suicide.

Emergency personnel could not revive the woman and she was pronounced dead.

Responding officers could not determine the exact cause of death and noted some injuries on the woman’s body.

“There was enough for the officers to warrant some suspicious circumstances that would have our detectives come out here and conduct a full investigation,’ said Lt. Manuel Del Toro.

An autopsy was scheduled to happen Monday.

The woman is a San Diego resident but does not live in the apartment complex, officials said. Her identity was known but was not released pending family notification.

A San Marcos woman called authorities to report she was put in a chokehold, punched and sexually assaulted as the attack was happening, San Diego County Sheriff's authorities said.

Deputies said the suspect, 27-year-old Jason Edward Stey, left in the middle of his shift  Sunday night at Dogtopia to rape the victim, an employee at Dab's Central Smoke Shop across the street on San Marcos Blvd.

Dab's owner, Matthew Schlemon, said surveillance video shows Stey grabbing the woman from behind and punching her at least 15 times. At one point, the woman's pit bull attacked Stey, but he punched the dog too, the San Diego Sheriff's Department said.

After the initial struggle, Stey got up to lock the shop's door.

"In that split two seconds, like a genius, she grabs the shop phone, calls 911, throws it on the ground, and the dispatcher could hear the struggle," said Schlemon. "She was saying things like 'Please stop.' God only knows what she was saying."

Minutes after the assault, Stey, a San Marcos resident, was arrested outside the smoke shop and booked into jail on seven felony counts, including rape by force, assault with a deadly weapon with force likely to produce great bodily injury, burglary, assault with intent to commit rape, oral copulation with force or fear, sexual penetration of a foreign object and cruelty to an animal.

The woman was taken to the hospital following the incident, but she was sent home Monday.

Sheriff's Lt. Jeffrey Duckworth said he did not know if the victim and suspect knew each other before the incident but did not believe they did.

An arraignment is set for January 7 in Vista and bail for Stey was set at $300,000.

Stey was fired from Dogtopia immediately after the incident. He left his cellphone and backpack behind when he left in the middle of his shift, his co-worker said.

According to his manager, Stey had texted her earlier in the day, asking how he could be promoted.

Court records show he has been arrested at least five times before, and the District Attorney's office says Stey served a prison term in 2011 for assault with a deadly weapon and carrying a concealed dirk/dagger.

The Sheriff's Sexual Assault Unit is investigating.

Carlsbad High School has canceled classes for Tuesday following a reported Instagram threat to "shoot up" the school put the campus on lockdown on Monday.

School officials haven't been able to rule out that a threat won't happen, said Carlsbad Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Rick Grove.

Carlsbad Village Academy also has canceled classes for Tuesday, as it is housed on the same campus.

Students were sent home early Monday after the reported Instagram threat.

The students were released at 11:15 a.m., though the school said teachers would be at school up until the last student went home, according to a post on their website.

Grove said the threat was reported by a parent Monday morning. The school is waiting for police to finish their investigation.

Everyone is safe, according to a tweet sent out by the superintendent of Carlsbad Unified School District during the lockdown. School is expected to resume tomorrow.

The police department was on scene.

Check back for more on this developing story.

A South Florida reptile store owner is facing battery and animal cruelty charges after authorities say he struck employees with a bearded dragon lizard and put it in his mouth.

Benjamin Herman Siegel, owner of Siegel Reptiles, was arrested Friday at the business on West Hillsboro Boulevard in Deerfield Beach, according to a Broward Sheriff's Office arrest report.

Siegel, 40, remained behind bars without bond Monday, jail records showed. It was unknown if he has an attorney.

According to the report, video surveillance captured Siegel throwing the animal in the air and swinging it in the air multiple times. He also hit employees with the bearded dragon multiple times and threw Gatorade on them, the report said.

"The defendant did unnecessarily torment the animal, handling the animal in a cruel and/or inhumane manner and intentionally committed an act to the animal which results in excessive and repeated infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering to the animal," the report said.

The reptile store made national headlines in 2012 when a man died after consuming dozens of insects and worms during a roach-eating contest at the shop.

Ahead of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals tackling Texas' ban on gay marriage later this week, a group of Fort Worth police officers are speaking out in support of marriage equality on behalf of a gay colleague.

In the ad, three employees of the Fort Worth Police Department say Chris Gorrie, a police officer since 2006, should be allowed to marry whomever he wants and that those who support freedom and liberty should also support his freedom to marry.

The 30-second ad, placed by Texas for Marriage, a joint campaign by Freedom to Marry and Equality Texas, began airing Sunday in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin and El Paso, among other cities, and will run through Monday.

“Our ad shows Ft. Worth police officers standing up for their gay colleague‘s freedoms,” said Marc Solomon, national campaign director of Freedom to Marry. “With poignancy, they remind Texans that anyone who puts their life on the line to protect other Americans should not be treated unequally or be denied the ability to protect their own family by being barred from marrying.”

A transcript of the ad can be read below:

Chris Gorrie: I became a police officer in 2006.
Monica Jackson: Chris makes a sacrifice everyday along with the rest of us.
Jay Doshi: He puts his life on the line just like I do.
Chris Gorrie: My partner Justin and I — we live together. Eventually one day we’d like to get married just like everybody else.
Allison Fincher: A lot of people think gay people shouldn’t be able to get married — that makes no sense.
Chris Gorrie: Freedom is a big deal; the freedom to marry, the freedom to say what you want to say, and the freedom to do what you want to do.
Jay Doshi: Texans believe in freedom and liberty and part of that is to be able to marry who you love, so Chris should be able to marry whoever he loves.

The ad, above, can also be seen here on YouTube.

George W. Bush media adviser Mark McKinnon serves as a chair of the campaign, which hopes to win bipartisan support for marriage equality ahead of Friday's court date.

On Friday, the New Orleans federal appeals court will hear the state defend a ban on same-sex marriage. A San Antonio federal judge has ruled the law unconstitutional but let the ban remain in effect pending appeal. The same court will also hear cases on same-sex marriage from Louisiana and Mississippi.

Starting Monday night, a portion of Interstate 5 between the Aliso Creek Rest Area and the San Diego-Orange County line will be limited to one lane.

Crews will close three of the four freeway lanes to continue work on the major $43 million Ocean View pavement project.

The closures include northbound I-5 lanes and Las Pulgas Road on- and off-ramps.

The closures will run overnight from Monday through Thursday from 7:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. and on Friday between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. and Saturday between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m.

You can check Caltran’s quick map for traffic information before leaving home.

Police on Monday urged the public to help find the "coward" killer of an abducted 3-week-old girl, whose body was found in a dumpster and whose parents and uncle were shot in their Long Beach home.

"To take a precious child from her home and throw her in a dumpster, like a piece of trash, is something a heartless person would do," said Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna at an afternoon news conference, where he said a $10,000 reward was set to be offered Tuesday. "We need to get the coward who committed this violent and senseless act off the street, but we absolutely need the public's help."

The body of Eliza Delacruz was found Sunday afternoon in a dumpster at a commercial strip mall in the 600 block of Palm Drive in Imperial Beach, said police spokeswoman Marlene Arrona.

San Diego County authorities said the body was found shortly before 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Long Beach police were notified of the discovery around 4:30 p.m., she said.

Family members and friends were heartbroken.

Three weeks ago, just before Thanksgiving, Aaron Cruz's good friend Eddie Delacruz was beyond excited to welcome home his baby girl Eliza.

"As soon as he had his daughter, he was sending pictures of what the weight was," Cruz said. "We were excited for him. He was going to be a brand new father."

Cruz has not slept since he learned detectives found Eliza.

"Three weeks old, 21 days of living ... She couldn't defend herself. She couldn't call for help ... this is just, this is just wrong," Cruz said.

Well-wishers dropped off flowers at memorials in Long Beach and San Diego through the day Monday to pay their respects for the girl in the disturbing crime.

Cruz said he suspects the Saturday night shooting that left Eliza's father, mother and uncle wounded was not random, nor do detectives with the Long Beach Police Department.

"We haven't received any tips thus far," said Arrona.

Anyone with information about the case was urged to call Long Beach homicide detectives Donald Goodman and Mark Mattia at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips can be provided by calling Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.

A judge has decided to move forward with the case against the man accused of killing a co-worker at their Mira Mesa office last May.

Leopoldo Pacuan is charged in the stabbing death of 63-year-old Raquel Morales, whose body was found by officers inside LBC Express, a 24-hour air cargo delivery service the two both worked at.

Police were called by Morales' husband, who was worried when she hadn't returned home from work at her usual time on the night of May 18.

When officers arrived at the business, they made the grisly discovery of Morales' body with obvious signs of trauma.

"When he and the other officer entered the business, they went straight back and found a deceased female whose description matched Raquel Morales', as provided by the family members outside," said San Diego Police Detective Chris Leahy.

Prosecutors said Morales was stabbed eight times and jewelry was stolen from her body.

“We believe the motive was robbery," a lieutenant told NBC 7 in May. "He didn’t get anything from the LBC Express business, but he took the victim’s purse, watch, and wedding ring. We believe the victim and suspect knew each other from their work contact, but there is no indication that they had a personal relationship."

According to investigators, Pacuan worked as a courier driver. However, other employees have said they were unaware of any problems between Pacuan and Morales.

After the day-long preliminary hearing Monday, a judge decided there is enough evidence to try Pacuan for the murder.

The district attorney has not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty.

A San Diego driver has pleaded guilty to a hit-and-run crash that sent a truck flying off the freeway and tumbling 50 feet to a parking lot below.

Jose Uribe, 21, admitted Monday to driving without a license and hit-and-run causing injury during the Sept. 21, 2014 incident.

As he was driving from Interstate 8 to north Interstate 805 that day, Uribe's brown Ford Excursion hit the back of a yellow Ford pickup truck, causing the truck to spin, flip over a guardrail and fall into the Dave and Buster’s parking lot in Mission Valley.

The man in the truck, Navy Petty Officer Kenneth Freudenvoll, suffered crushed second and fourth vertebrae when his vehicle landed hard on the concrete. A bone shard in his spine caused him to lose feelings in his legs.

Prosecutors say Uribe fled the scene because he was driving without a license. When California Highway Patrol officers later caught up with him, they said Uribe tried to change his tire and wipe off some of the paint damage caused by the collision.

Uribe’s passenger in his vehicle turned him in, according to prosecutors.

At the time of the crash, Uribe was on probation for false imprisonment and concealing evidence charges stemming from a 2012 rape case.

He will be sentenced on April 13.
 

Nearly 2,000 car seats will be distributed to low income families this year as a result of a grant received by the California Office of Traffic Safety.

The department will have 1,944 child car seats available to be given out through September 2015 as part of OTS’ Keep ‘Em Safe program. This is the county’s fifth year receiving the $245,000 grant.

The money will also fund an educational campaign that includes presentations showing people how to properly install the car seat with a seat belt and how to use the child passenger restraint system for children of all ages.

The program will also help teach parents about vehicle safety issues, such as leaving children alone in the car. The grant provides passenger safety education classes to social workers, community outreach workers, public health nurses, and public safety workers.

Last year, the county gave out 2,155 child car seats throughout the region. Car crashes are the leading cause of deaths among children under age 19 in the nation.

For more information about the Keep 'Em Safe program, contact the Pacific Safety Center at (888) 846-4200.

More than two dozen Vons stores in San Diego will have to change the way they deal with hazardous materials after parent company Safeway Inc. reached a $9.87 million settlement over alleged improper storage and disposal of hazardous waste.

Vons and Safeway employees were disposing hazardous waste in trash cans that eventually ended up in landfills, according to a release by the San Diego City Attorney's office.

Those potentially hazardous materials, which the report from the city attorney's office called "toxic, reactive, ignitable and/or corrosive materials," included over-the-counter medications, aerosol products, batteries, electronic devices, pharmaceuticals and pool chemicals.

A lawsuit was filed in Solano County by 43 agencies, including the San Diego City Attorney's office and District Attorney's office, when an investigation revealed Safeway's questionable handling of hazardous material.

The report also found shipments of hazardous and pharmaceutical waste were being redistributed to stores.

“Safely handling hazardous waste protects our environment and is vital to the health of all Californians,” District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said. “Our environmental protection team did an outstanding job prosecuting this case and collaborating with other agencies to arrive at today’s multimillion dollar judgment.”

The city attorney's office will receive $45,000 to fund the enforcement of the consumer and environmental protection laws. The grocery store chain is also putting new internal procedures into place to prevent future incidents.

An additional $9.87 million in civil penalties and costs will be paid by Safeway. Some of that money will be used for supplemental environmental projects, the city said.

"Through this sort of collaborative effort by city attorneys and district attorneys throughout the state, business can be brought into compliance with the law and meet their responsibilities to protect our environment," said City Attorney Jan Goldsmith. "Not every landfill is designed and permitted to accept hazardous waste. The proper use of our landfills is of particular importance in San Diego."

A hit-and-run in Midway left an 11-year-old boy is in the hospital with a brain bleed, police said.

Shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday, the boy was riding his bicycle with some friends and cross the road at a marked crosswalk on Sims road at Truxton road.

Police said a black Lincoln sedan hit the boy and threw him off the bicycle and into the curb, where he hit his head. He suffered a non-life threatening brain bleed.

The driver of the Lincoln stopped briefly, got out of his car, and then left the scene.

The Traffic Division is investigating.
 

Authorities are trying to track down the person responsible for wrapping rubber bands around a poodle’s muzzle, severely injuring the dog.

The case surfaced Saturday, when a resident in the 2900 block of Ocean View Boulevard came across the injured poodle running loose in a nearby park, according to a news release from the San Diego County Department of Animal Services.

The resident reported the discovery to the Department of Animal Services. An animal control officer responded and found the female white poodle and saw the dog had multiple rubber bands wrapped around its muzzle.

The poodle was treated at the department’s animal care facility; veterinary staff removed the rubber bands, which had been on the dog so long that the bands had cut all the way down to the bone, animal services officials said.

Dawn Danielson, director of animal services, said in a news release the act may have been intended to quiet the dog from barking, “however, their actions have caused this poor dog to suffer horrendous pain for a very long time.”

The poodle is still being treated for injuries and isn’t available yet for adoption

Animal services officials said they’ve launched an animal abuse investigation and need the public’s help tracking down the person responsible.

Those with information are asked to call the department’s patrol supervisors at 619-767-2740 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

A newborn first reported missing in Long Beach was found dead in a dumpster behind an Imperial Beach strip mall Sunday, and police are now looking for the suspect responsible for the "horrendous" crime.

Eliza Delacruz was found wearing a pink onesie near The Silver Strand Shopping Center at Palm Avenue and Rainbow Drive, approximately two miles west of Interstate 5 south of San Diego.

A woman searching the dumpster for recyclables found the dead infant in a trash bag with other trash around 1:30 p.m. Sunday.

There were no signs of visible trauma, officials said. An autopsy was conducted Monday, but the medical examiner's office sealed the results at the request of law enforcement.

At a news conference Monday afternoon, Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna said they are looking for a dark-skinned man who may be involved.

"And please remember as we stand here as police officers, unfortunately we deal with tragedies, but nothing as horrendous as a child, a baby for that fact, being taken from her home and then being left in a trash dumpster," said Luna.

A sketch artist is working with police to come up with a composite drawing of the suspect. The LA Board of Supervisors plans to offer a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the person responsible.

A memorial with candles and baby clothes has been set up just a few feet from where the baby was found.

Locals stopped by early Monday to pray for Eliza.

“It’s very heart wrenching,” said resident Portia Kirk. “To have something like this happen so close to where we sleep and live, it’s just devastating.”

Eliza was reported missing Saturday afternoon after her parents and an uncle were injured in a shooting at a home in Long Beach.

The crime, described as “very personal” by Long Beach police, occurred on 51st Street at about 5:53 p.m.

Neighbors say they heard two shots, then silence.

Eliza’s father was released from the hospital but did not talk to reporters outside. The baby’s mother and uncle were in critical condition.

Long Beach investigators traveled to San Diego and confirmed the infant was Eliza Delacruz.

"We need to get the coward who committed this violent, senseless act off the street," Luna said, "but we absolutely need the public's help to do this."

Tips about this case can be made to (800) 222-TIPS (8477), or by texting TIPLA and the tip to 274637 (CRIMES).

The California Highway Patrol issued a Sig alert for northbound Interstate 5 at Via de la Valle after a seven-car pile-up.

CHP, San Diego Police Department and fire rescue crews are on the scene where at least one person has been injured and an infant and adult are awaiting an ambulance for lacerations to the face.

Traffic was delayed, but lanes are reopened as of Monday evening.

This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.

A La Jolla High School student is still unable to return to class after suffering a brain injury that may have happened during a football game, NBC 7’s media partner the Voice of San Diego reports.

The 17-year-old suffered a concussion during a game three months ago, but he stayed on the field, despite telling a junior varsity assistant football coach that he was hurt, his father said. The player ended up vomiting on the sidelines - sign of head injury.

The student is receiving treatment, but he has not been back to school for a full day since. His father told the VOSD his son experiences searing headaches reading more than three lines of text. The teen must cover his eyes on a bright day.

The assistant coach involved, Steven Wachs, was suspended after the incident, but he disputes the story, saying no one told him the boy was injured.

The LJHS student’s plight is an example of the problem lying before millions of parents: should they put their kids in sports and run the risk of brain injury?

The Agency for Student Health Research, a San Diego-based company, hopes to add some data to the decision by identifying the biggest concussion culprits and what’s being done.

“Number one is football,” said the group’s founder Charlie Wund. “But the number two sport is cheerleading.”

His software InjureFree tracks injuries at hundreds of schools around the U.S. and three other countries. The program is being used by dozens of local schools, but San Diego Unified, the largest district, has declined to take part.

Wund released sample data to NBC 7, showing concussions from eight schools in San Diego County. Close to half the 162 concussions came from the football field.

But take away football, and Wund said on a national level, they’re seeing more concussions in female athletes. The reason is not exactly known.

“There is debate out there now, that the neck strength is less, therefore causing more whiplash,” said Wund.

The local data shows girls are less likely to return to play after a concussion – not necessarily the case with boys like the LJHS student.

"Unfortunately, we have reports of concussions or suspected head injuries that the student has gone back in that same day,” said Wund.

So what can schools do? First and foremost, Wund recommends keeping an athletic trainer on the field.

The measure is currently mandated in 49 states – every state but California. The state also does not require schools to track injuries, and Wund has made it his mission to change that.

"We are very much believers that this is the start to better understand what issues are in place and how do we solve those problems," said Wund.

This year, a new California law takes effect that will limit the amount of contact allowed per week in practices for high school sports.

Ed. Note: An earlier version of the article incorrectly identified Agency for Student Health Research as a non-profit organization. We regret the error. 

U.S. Navy dive teams aboard small boats are assisting in the effort to find wreckage from AirAsia's Flight 8501.

The crews from San Diego-based USS Sampson and USS Fort Worth are very aware that this is delicate operation.

“We offer our sincerest condolences to the members of the families who have been impacted by this terrible tragedy,” Commander Kendall Bridgewater told NBC 7.

The plane crashed in the Java Sea on Dec. 28 on its way from Indonesia to Singapore, presumably killing all 162 people onboard. Since then, search teams have pulled 37 bodies from the water, but they are still searching for the main cabin.

The first task for the Navy teams is to help find larger pieces of wreckage. The boats will travel at high speeds to cover more area using sonar equipment dropped into the water on a line.

“We'll give out as much as 300 feet and we can see everything on the sea floor using our computer so it's all in real time,” said Navy Diver Second Class Daniel Clarke, one of the team members.

He said once the team detects an item under the water they can slow their speed to get a much clearer look.

“We can find anything as small as a golf ball or something as big as an airplane,” Clarke said.

NBC7 got a close look at how these systems work during a recent Navy training exercise off San Diego's coast. We watched as unmanned underwater vessels were dropped deep into the ocean and monitored from computers inside a littoral combat ship, much like USS Fort Worth. The devices are usually used to search for underwater mines.

In this case, it is the black boxes from the AirAsia plane that the crew members and dive teams are looking for, a mission to help provide answers to as to what caused the crash of Flight 8501.

On the heels of a season that left Chargers fans with a sour taste, now comes word that the St. Louis Rams are planning to move back into their longtime former Los Angeles "market." 

That news, in a story broken by the Los Angeles Times, figures to put pressure on the Chargers and San Diego civic officials to accelerate plans for a new stadium complex here.

Since the Rams and the Raiders left the Los Angeles region 20 seasons ago, the Chargers claim to have cultivated 30 percent of their current fan base from north of the San Diego County line.

If they can't get a new stadium in their own midst -- and the Rams are able to colonize in the Los Angeles County city of Inglewood -- what then?

"No tax dollars have been requested -- nor will they be used -- if the project is approved,” Inglewood Mayor James Butts Jr. told reporters at a news conference Monday. “This proposal, if approved, is another step along the way to moving Inglewood from a city on the rise to a top-tier metropolis."

Butts said ballot petitions for the proposal are now circulating after papers were filed Friday, with organizers seeking valid signatures from at least a required 15 percent of Inglewood’s electorate: roughly 8,000 voters.

If they succeed in qualifying for the June ballot and it’s approved, the stadium possibly could open in time for the 2018 season, according to Butts.

That announcement has to warm the hearts of Rams fans who hoisted “LA Rams” placards in the stands at St. Louis' game against the Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium on Nov. 23.

The proposed stadium is targeted for the closed-down Hollywood Park racetrack site, to be bankrolled by an investment group that includes the Rams' multibillionaire owner Stan Kroenke, who already has title to 60 acres between Hollywood Park and the revamped Forum complex.

Folks in St. Louis seem to be done with him, given what Jeff Rainford, chief of staff to Mayor Francis Slay, told St. Louis television KDSK on Monday: "I don't think that all of a sudden we should be competing, upping the ante to try to give Stan Kroenke a better deal than he's going to get in Los Angeles.”

Meantime, fickle, fair-weather fans with other loyalties are always a problem within the Bolts' fan base.

Even when the team is winning, selling enough seats in an aging stadium (opened in 1967) to avoid NFL-mandated TV blackouts is a challenge.

The 'Q' and its 166 acres could wind up as a taxpayer donation to help the Chargers leverage the cost of a new stadium downtown on a 12-acre East Village site also added to money mix -- plus the Valley View Casino Center site and its surrounding 100 acres in the Sports Arena/Midway District.

There’s talk of creating a countywide joint powers authority, harnessing the influence and leverage of the county and all 18 of its cities, to come up with a game plan.

Can a deal be swung in San Diego without getting bogged down in legalities?

"Oh, I think there's always lawyers involved, legislators and people against taxes,” says sports marketing consultant Rick Schloss. “I think with entertainment, like anything else in building an entertainment complex, it's part of a big-time city to have an NFL franchise."

Another question: Who's ready – outside of Inglewood -- for "The St. Louis Rams of Los Angeles"?

After all, Los Angeles football fans have managed to endure 20 seasons without an NFL team in the region.

Separate proposals for stadiums in downtown Los Angeles and city of Industry have been on the table for some time now, with no takers.

"People want to be part of great things,” Schloss told NBC 7. “I think the city will adapt and embrace an NFL franchise coming into their market. There's hundreds of cities that want it. It's the second biggest market in the country. People will figure a way to go to the games and watch."

Chargers management and San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s office are maintaining media silence on all this for the time being.

While money may be no object to Team Kroenke, the move from St. Louis to Los Angeles must be approved by at least 24 of the 32 NFL franchise owners.

And the stadium, which would be located under the flight path of Los Angeles International Airport, might raise post 9-11 security concerns with the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security and Federal Aviation Administration.