JOHN CARLOS FREY:

Famously sunny Los Angeles has long been known as the homeless capital of America, from beachy communities like Santa Monica and Venice to Skid Row downtown. There are about 45,000 homeless people in L.A. county, about 4,000 of whom are veterans.

The number of homeless vets in the city of L.A. has fallen by about one third since 2009. And last year the city joined an ambitious national effort already underway to completely end veteran homelessness by the end of this year.

L.A.'s commitment coincided with an event last July attended by First Lady Michelle Obama, who has championed veterans initiatives for the Obama administration.