Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Mike Belote

57. Mike Belote

Lobbyist Mike Belote is another longtime standard bearer around the Capitol, with over four decades of experience to bring to the table. And that’s any table, because Mike has been at all of them. He is the immediate past president of California Advocates, one of the true heavyweights in the Capitol community. Established over fifty years ago, Cal Advocates’ client roster lists almost 90 entities, including the likes of Apple, Delta Airlines, Verizon, the American Beverage Association, General Motors, Coca-Cola, RV Industry Association, the California Judges Association, and UC’s Hastings College of Law, among many, many others. Belote has long represented the Judges and Hastings, two groups that as a lawyer himself are near to his heart. He’s also noted around the region for his philanthropic activities, and recipients include such groups as the Volunteers of America, the Public Legal Services Society at McGeorge, and My Sister’s House, an organization focused on domestic violence and trafficking in the Asian Pacific Islander community. Full disclosure: Belote serves on the board of Open California, publisher of Capitol Weekly.

Updated Aug. 15, 2023