by michael waltman. he makes us realize just how the democracy has been. the streets are home to those without a home in los angeles. last year there were nearly 58,000 homeless people in l.a. county, accounting for an astonishing 10% of america's entire homeless population. tents and camps exploded downtown near the subway. it was considered to be a state of emergency. but the number of homeless people has actually climbed another 30% since then. why has the crisis reached such epic proportions? officials point to rapidly increasing rents in a strong economy compounded by a mental health crisis and insufficient resources for those facing