Los Angeles County’s overall jail population has increased nearly 4% since late last year, in part because of more arrests related to a voter-approved proposition that allowed police to once again arrest people accused of certain low-level drug and theft crimes.
It’s a relatively small increase — roughly 500 incarcerated people — but it could indicate what is to come now that Proposition 36 is California law.
The county Sheriff’s Department, which runs the jails, and county officials tasked with moving people out of the crumbling Men’s Central Jail in downtown L.A., said they’re watching the jail population growth closely as it could make it harder to meet their needs…