[KHTS] – Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Santa Clarita Mayor Marsha McLean invited mayors from cities all over Los Angeles County, including Burbank, Montebello, Torrance and Catalina, to the Santa Clarita Activities Center Tuesday morning for a quarterly meeting.

“I’m very proud that I was able to invite the mayors to have this quarterly meeting here,” McLean said. “I’m very proud that they came.”

Because some of the mayors had never visited Santa Clarita, McLean’s goal was to have people take a look at what the city offers.

Garcetti, McLean

“I wanted (the mayors) to understand how actually close we are to the San Fernando Valley,” said McLean. “I wanted them to understand that we’re not just way out there. I’m hearing how surprised they are at our city, and that’s exactly the result that I wanted.”

Tuesday’s agenda, set by Mayor Garcetti, discussed many topics, including homelessness in Los Angeles County.

Peter Lynn, Executive Director at Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority made a presentation about the homeless in Los Angeles County and what can be done about it.

There are approximately 44,359 people who are homeless living in Los Angeles County, about 31,018 of them unsheltered and about 13,341 of them sheltered, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

The approximately 45,000 homeless people in Los Angeles County is a 12 percent increase from what it was in 2013, said Lynn.

“The increase is one of the largest in the country,” said Lynn.

Lynn also outlined that Los Angeles County has one of the tightest housing markets in the country and also has one of the highest rent burdens in the country.

There are also opportunities for the community to help, Lynn said.

For example, Lynn highlighted that the issue of criminalizing homelessness needs to end.

El Nino outreach assistance is also being coordinated between the County of Los Angeles Chief Executive Office, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles County Fire Department and the Department of Public Works, said Lynn.

Lynn also invited the community to register as a volunteer for the 2016 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count from Jan. 26-28.

The 2016 Homeless Count is held to help improve the lives of homeless men, women and children across Los Angeles in need of support.

Six thousand volunteers will be needed; click here to sign up.