SAN DIEGO — Faced with a glut of jury trials because of the "three-strikes" law, the district attorney, public defender and presiding judge of the Superior Court announced a plan Monday to avert judicial gridlock in the court system.

Henceforth, four veteran judges will handle nothing but "three-strikes" cases, in which a criminal defendant faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted. Also, designated prosecutors and deputy public defenders will be trained to handle only "three-strikes" cases.

Numerous counties in California are looking for methods to cope with the increased trial load because of "three strikes," but San Diego is believed to be the first to hit upon the idea of having judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys become specialists.

The hope is that this will eliminate the scheduling delays that have begun to clog the courts as prosecutors and defenders juggle a variety of cases in different courtrooms.

Like many other areas of California, San Diego has seen a sizable increase in the number of criminal defendants requesting jury trials rather than accept a plea bargain since the Legislature passed the "three-strikes" law last year. That bill and a proposition endorsed by voters in November require lengthy prison sentences for defendants convicted of a third serious felony. The "three-strikes" movement was fueled by public anger over plea bargains and crimes by repeat criminals.

Felony trials were up one-third in San Diego last year because of "three strikes," officials said, with an even greater increase expected for this year. The increase comes at a time when no county money is available for additional prosecutors, defense attorneys or court personnel.

Dist. Atty. Paul Pfingst, picking up on the baseball analogy of "three strikes," said the new system should mean that as soon as a "three-strikes" case in the batter's box is finished, the "three-strikes" case on deck will be ready to go.

" 'Three strikes,' " Pfingst said, "is having an effect on every court, district attorney, public defender and police department in the state."

The theory behind the San Diego system, to be tried on a pilot basis, is that the judges, prosecutors and public defenders selected to handle only "three-strikes" cases will become experts in the legal intricacies of the new law, such as whether prior felonies count as a first or second strike.