Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Mike Belote

Top 100 Hall of Fame

The Capitol community may be a small world, but it covers a lot of ground: policy issues ranging from the judiciary to transportation to real estate, the logistics of campaigning and fundraising and the accumulation of power, palace intrigue and the personalities of the electeds and their aides. No one person has a handle on all aspects of it, but Mike Belote – a 10-time member of the Top 100 list – sure comes close. He is one of the Capitol’s standard bearers, with nearly 50 years of experience and a deep, deep understanding of the machinery of California politics. And don’t think he’s slowing down any. He was a pivotal part of the effort last year that led to the first major reforms in California’s lemon law since its inception in 1970. Which isn’t surprising since for a long while now he’s been a major player with the powerhouse firm California Advocates, whose roster of clients is deep with heavyweights Apple, Bayer, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines and Equifax, although Belote himself has long represented legal clients, like the California Judges Association and the California Defense Counsel. Before joining California Advocates in 1990, he was a legislative advocate for the California Society of Certified Public Accountants and the California Association of Realtors. A lawyer, Belote also served as Vice President and Legislative Counsel for the California Land Title Association and is known for his philanthropic work for groups such as Volunteers of America, the Public Legal Services Society at McGeorge and Battlefields to Ballfields, an organization which helps train veterans to become sports officials. Full disclosure: he also serves on the board of Open California, the publisher of Capitol Weekly.

Updated Aug. 26, 2025