A lifelong prosecutor, San Joaquin County District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar has been seeking justice for San Joaquin residents for over two decades. Before serving as District Attorney, Tori prosecuted and convicted San Joaquin County’s most hardened criminals as a District Attorney’s Office Gang-Homicide Unit Member. Tori was the lead prosecutor in our county’s history’s largest sweep of Asian gang members, crippling their gun and narcotics distribution network. Tori’s reputation for convicting some of our county’s most violent criminals led to her election as the first woman District Attorney in San Joaquin County.
Since taking office in 2015, Tori has expanded Victim-Witness services and created the Family Justice Center, a one-stop location to receive trauma-informed services from multiple communities and support agencies that assist victims while helping them seek justice. She also established San Joaquin County’s first Political Integrity Unit dedicated to prosecuting corrupt public officials, which has led to the successful prosecution of numerous elected officials.
Tori has incorporated second-chance programming through the Project Navigate Constructive Change diversion program and collaborative courts to ensure low-level offenders do not become hardened criminals. Programs like this aim to cut recidivism rates while giving crime victims a voice in the way cases are resolved.
In collaboration with local non-profits and faith-based organizations, Tori has expanded opportunities for restoration in our communities. Her partnerships with poverty alleviation ministries like Bread of Life bring hope to those struggling while cutting the violent crime rate in the areas served. Her support of Sierra Vista Housing, which offers attainable housing, has helped the displaced find a home. And her work with the Stockton Gospel Rescue Mission, which provides shelter and drug rehabilitation services, has given our homeless a path to recovery.
As a San Joaquin County native, Tori’s passion for helping her fellow San Joaquin County residents stems from her deep roots in this community. However, her greatest love is her family, her husband Joe, and their three children, whom she enjoys spending time with working the family vineyard.