Because of the budget crisis (and the overall economic conditions) facing the State of California as well as the nation as a whole, courts have experienced backlog of cases, causing delay and hardship on all involved.
In Los Angeles County, many courthouses have been closed permanently. As a result, the cases pending in these locations have been distributed to other venues. In other words, there is more caseload on all the remaining staffers of the courts, essentially affecting the overall administration of justice.
Now, court cases take much longer to resolve.