Why the NFL will ultimately stand in the way of a Raiders, Rams or Chargers move to LA

For more than 20 seasons the NFL has enjoyed its most diverse and active fanbase in greater Los Angeles—without a franchise. As new California laws are making it easier to ease through community and environmental impact studies through ballot initiatives, the real bulwark may come from the league itself.

By Andrew Pridgen

The bureaucratic red tape, the environmental impact reports, the public commentary forums, the denuded forests of paperwork—no more. At least not as far as a trio of current NFL team owners looking to build in Los Angeles are concerned.

The league and the rest of its current owners, on the other hand, are a different story.

Since January, St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroeneke has dished out $1.7 million for a successful Inglewood stadium ballot initiative. Ownership of the Chargers and Raiders spent about a third of that for the consulting fees and polling agency services required to…