Archived Version: November 4, 2008
An information resource for Washington voters
Salvador Mendoza
Benton & Franklin County
Superior Court
Position One
Current Occupation/Employer: Attorney/Private Practice Civil & Criminal law, State & Federal
Education: University of Washington, B.A. 1994; U.C.L.A. J.D. 1997
Legal/Judicial Experience: I am a former Deputy Prosecuting Attorney and a former Assistant Attorney General. I am a farmer and a small business owner. I’ve been in private practice for nine years handling civil and criminal cases in state and federal court. I’ve served the people of both counties as a Judge Pro Tempore in Superior, District, Juvenile, and Municipal court. I also helped to create the first Drug Court for our counties and volunteer as a Board Director for the Legal Aid Society.
Candidate Statement: My 10 years of criminal law experience far exceeds that of the other candidates. I’m the only one who has performed all three positions: deputy prosecutor, defense attorney, and judge. My experience in prosecuting and defending serious criminal cases is important because 8 out of 10 trials in Benton and Franklin County are criminal law cases. My range of experience is one of the reasons why both Benton County Sheriff Larry Taylor and Franklin County Sheriff Richard Lathim believe that I am the best candidate for Superior Court Judge. My nine years of judicial experience as a Judge Pro Tempore has given me a wide range of support from the legal community including Justice Charles Z. Smith, local civil and criminal law attorneys, and the Franklin County Superior Court Clerk, Mike Killian. Having grown up in the modest farming community of Prosser, I learned at an early age the importance of hard work, strong family values, and accountability. These values form my core judicial philosophy. With my wife Mia, also a former prosecutor, along with my sons Anthony and Danny, I hope to serve the people of Benton and Franklin County for the next 25 years.
| ORGANIZATION |
SALVADOR MENDOZA |
BRUCE SPANNER |
|
Benton-Franklin Bar Association (Member Poll) |
Overall average on 1 to 100 scale: 83.28 |
Overall average on 1 to 100 scale: 65.68 |
|
Latina/o Bar Association of Washington |
Qualified | * |
|
Washington Women Lawyers |
Well Qualified | * |
Important note! Each of these organizations uses its own standards and rating terms when evaluating candidates; please check their pages for further information. We do not have ratings for candidates with an asterisk (*), and the reasons vary. Some evaluations may still be in process, or we might not have received them yet; some candidates may not have been offered an opportunity to participate, or they may have declined to participate. Again, please check the organizations' pages for further details..
Newspaper endorsements (click paper for details):
| NEWSPAPER | SAL MENDOZA | BRUCE SPANNER |
| Tri-City Herald |
 |
(Click a dollar figure for detailed data from the
Public Disclosure Commission. Note that summary numbers here might not match
detailed data for various reasons.)
| CANDIDATE | REPORT DATE | CONTRIBUTIONS | EXPENDITURES |
| Salvador Mendoza | 11/03/2008 | $111,901.85 | $108,444.76 |
| Bruce Spanner | 11/03/2008 | $72,882.81 | $71,786.24 |
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