A Riverside-based federal judge who presided over several high-profile cases, including one about the conditions at the Duroville trailer park in the eastern Coachella Valley, is resigning, saying he is not being paid enough.

 U.S. District Judge Stephen G. Larson, one of two judges assigned to the Central District of California's Riverside courthouse, announced this week he will step down from the bench Nov. 2 to begin working in a private law practice.

‘‘Given that the much-discussed and anticipated judicial salary restoration has not occurred and is now not likely to occur any time soon, that even minimized COLAs are uncertain at best, and coupled with our primary responsibility to our seven children, we can no longer afford for me to continue my public service,'' the judge said in a statement.

‘‘The costs associated with raising our family are increasing significantly, while our salary remains stagnant and, in terms of its purchasing power, is actually declining,'' he added. ‘‘The short of it is that I know I must place my family's interest, particularly the future of my children, ahead of my own fervent desire to remain a federal judge.''

Larson did not indicate for which firm he will be working. In June, he joined the faculty at the University of La Verne's College of Law in Ontario as a Distinguished Jurist in Residence.

The judge, who was appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush and unanimously confirmed by the Senate in March 2005, presided over the highly publicized civil trial last year pitting toy giant Mattel against family-owned MGA Entertainment Inc., in what became known as the ‘‘Barbie versus Bratz'' lawsuit.

Around the same time, Larson handled the precedent-setting criminal trial of former U.S. Marine Sgt. Jose Luis Nazario. It was the first known instance of an ex-serviceman being prosecuted for actions allegedly committed in combat. Nazario was acquitted.

Earlier this year, Larson presided over the Duroville civil trial, during which the U.S. Attorney's Office argued for the judge to shut down a dilapidated 40-acre mobile home park on the Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indian Reservation in the eastern Coachella Valley.

The judge, after repeatedly expressing concerns about where the park's 2,000 to 4,000 migrant workers and their families would relocate to, put the park in federal receivership for two years, giving the residents ample time to find new living quarters.

Central District Chief Judge Audrey B. Collins said Larson's departure spotlights ‘‘the adverse impact the combination of overwhelming caseload and low salary is having upon the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.''

The average salary for a district court judge is $169,300 a year, compared to around $430,000 a year for a law school dean, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

In a statement released Wednesday, Collins said one jurist left in October to join an arbitration/mediation firm and another judge is planning to retire in March to follow a similar path.

‘‘The Central District of California faces a crisis of retention,'' Collins said.

Collins said the Central District's eastern division, which encompasses the entire Inland Empire, has been heavily impacted by a spillover of civil cases from state courts.

In Riverside County, judges previously assigned to hear civil matters have been tied up dealing with the county's backlog of criminal cases. As a result, Collins said, more civil litigants are filing in federal court.

The judge said that in the 12-month period ending June 30, 2009, the number of civil cases removed from state court to the Central District's eastern division jumped 377 percent, compared to the 12-month period ending June 30, 2008.