The number of people held in county jails has ticked up since police countywide began enforcing crimes tied to Proposition 36, a state initiative aimed at cracking down on repeat drug and theft offenders.
The county sheriff’s office reported Friday that 511 of the 4,263 people held in San Diego County jails had Proposition 36 charges, making up 12 percent of the population.
Assistant Sheriff Dustin Lopez said daily jail counts began rising by 1 percent to 2 percent a month after law enforcement agencies across the region started enforcing Proposition 36 in mid-December. Lopez said the daily share of people held with Proposition 36 charges has ranged from 5 percent to 12 percent of the jail population since January…