Candidate for
District Attorney; County of San Joaquin

Tori Verber Salazar has devoted over 25 years of her professional life to the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office. She began her career in 1987, working full time while attending Law School at night. In 2001 she became a Deputy District Attorney and in 2006 joined the Gang-Homicide Unit of the District Attorney's Office. Assigned to prosecute and bring to justice some of the most dangerous and hardened criminals, Tori brought with her a "never back down" attitude to the Unit. She was the lead prosecutor in the largest sweep of Asian gang members in the history of San Joaquin County, dismantling the notorious LTC gang's ability to distribute narcotics, guns and violence in our community. Since then Tori has prosecuted and brought to justice numerous murderers and gang members within San Joaquin County. One such case involved a homicide that occurred at a well known Tracy Restaurant where the criminal in question shot into a crowded Tracy restaurant injuring eight people and killing one innocent bystander. Thanks in large part to law enforcement and Tori's hard work and perseverance, the shooter in the incident received a sentence of 242 years to life. Recently, Tori convicted of a local gangster who sent his gang henchmen to beat a fourteen year old boy to death. Tori prosecuted the defendant and was able to get a jury verdict for 2nd degree murder where he will be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

Not only is Tori a tough as nails prosecutor, but she is also a dedicated mother, wife, volunteer and community leader. San Joaquin County born and raised, she attended local schools, culminating in her graduation from St. Mary's High School. Tori then attended and graduated from St. Mary's College in Moraga, where she had the distinction of becoming one of the school's first female Student Body Presidents. For the celebration of its 150th anniversary, St. Mary's named Tori a "Gaelblazer",  an honor bestowed upon only twenty-four other alumni groups and individuals. This distinction places her in the company of an Olympic Athlete, a former U.S. Navy Rear Admiral and the school's 1959 NCAA Basketball Tournament Team that reached vaunted "Elite Eight" status.

After graduating from St. Mary's College, Tori began the arduous task of juggling work, getting married, giving birth to three children and having to study for, take and eventually pass, the California Bar Exam. The path she took was not always the smoothest, and there were more than her fair share of bumps in the road, but her perseverance and dedication allowed her to achieve these hard fought goals. Tori often likes to state that everyone falls down, the real test is how you pick yourself up and move forward. Today, Tori is thankful for those "bumps in the road" as they taught her how to pick herself up, wipe off her boots, and carry on.

Tori serves as a board member on several worthwhile community organizations.  Among them are the TLC School for the Homeless, the San Joaquin County Fair Board and the Community Partnership for Families in San Joaquin County. She serves as co-chair of "Empowering Young Women" and "Empowering Young Men", educating over one thousand students every year on the risks of becoming involved with gangs and violence. She is also actively involved in educating our youth about the dangers of cyber bullying, and educating parents and children together on the risks and dangers of social media and predators.

Tori is married to Joe Salazar, her husband of 16 years. Together they have three wonderful children, Joey and twins Lucca and Lucianna. All three are honors students involved in sports and their schools' student run newspapers. Both Tori and Joe are actively involved in their childrens' sports programs and school activities, and are grateful for the joy that all three bring to their lives.