It's impossible for the light to cycle from green to YELLOW to red "simultaneously" with anything.

You've lost me here. Are you saying you proceeded past the stop line making a left turn when the light was red? It matters not whether you fully stopped or not, you're not to proceed into the intersection on a red singal to turn left at this intersection.

Even when you can proceed on a red signal (or at a stop sign), stopping several cars back from the limit line doesn't give you any credit for stopping. You need to stop at the limit line.