LOS ANGELES—Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the presiding judge of Los Angeles County’s court system announced today another extension of deadlines in criminal trials and hearings to determine if there is enough evidence for a defendant to stand trial. “The court is encouraged by the county’s improving COVID-19 trends and will continue its periodic assessment of the need for such relief as we seek to balance access to justice with our commitment to ensuring the health and safety of court users,” Presiding Judge Eric C. Taylor said in a statement. Taylor announced the following timeline changes for cases: —the time within which a criminal trial must be held to be extended by up to 30 days in cases in which the statutory deadline would otherwise fall between Oct. 10 and Oct. 22; —the time for a preliminary hearing following arraignment to be extended to no more than 30 court …