Lobbyists

Ralph Simoni has thirty-five years of experience as a legislative advocate. He served as assistant director-government affairs for the California State University and Colleges, vice president-legislative counsel for the California Land Title Association and chief legislative advocate for the State Bar of California. Ralph also had four years experience working with another lobbying firm as the vice president responsible for management of the firm's legislative office.

In recent years Ralph has developed expertise in complex resource and recycling issues. On behalf of the plastics industry, soft drink manufacturers and distributors, battery companies, and waste companies, Ralph has participated extensively in legislative and regulatory issues involving recycled content requirements, consumer refund programs, landfill sitting limitations, environmental issues such as groundwater treatment, waste stream treatment, and others. Additionally, he represents several local government clients in the complex issue of California water policy.

Ralph is a graduate of San Francisco State University and the University of California at Davis, Martin Luther King, Jr., School of Law. He is admitted to practice before state and federal courts in California.
 

Michael Belote has over 25 years experience in representing a variety of clients before the Legislature and state regulators. Before joining California Advocates, Mike worked as a legislative advocate for the California Society of Certified Public Accountants followed by the California Association of Realtors. He has also served as Vice President and Legislative Counsel for the California Land Title Association. In the latter capacities, he gained valuable knowledge in land use and development issues.

Mike's activities in the legislative process have spanned a broad array of issues, including financial services, real estate, health care, the judiciary, and local government. He has been involved in such diverse endeavors as creating new occupational licensing laws, fostering economic development, shaping state tax policy and influencing the budget process.

Mike is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and the McGeorge School of Law. He is admitted to practice before the state and federal courts in California.

Robert Walters has over 30 years of legal, legislative and governmental experience. He came to Sacramento in 1966 as a member of Governor Reagan's transition team, and in 1967 was appointed as Assistant to the Secretary of Health and Welfare. He later served in several governmental administrative positions, including Executive Officer to the Board of Corrections and Legal Counsel to the State Office of Economic Opportunity. He also served on the staff of the California Legislature as Assistant to the Majority Floor Leader of the Assembly.

With experience in both the legislative and regulatory environments, Bob has provided capable client representation on legislative and administrative activities. He has extensive experience representing business and local government clients on a wide range of issues, including public safety, environmental, liability, financial and governance matters.

Bob is a graduate of UCLA and San Francisco Law School. He also is a graduate of the Coro Foundation Public Affairs fellowship program. He has served as an elected Trustee on the San Juan School District in Sacramento County and as a member of the Sacramento City-County Consolidation Commission. He currently is a Director of the San Juan Water District in Sacramento and Placer Counties. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and before state and federal courts in California and practiced law for over 15 years in addition to an active lobbying practice. From 1973 to 1991, when Bob left traditional law practice, he was a partner in his own firm, Biddle, Walters and Bukey and a shareholder in the Sacramento firm of Kronick, Moskovitz, Tiedemann and Girard. He specialized in public agency law, particularly representative of school districts and a statewide education association.

Julianne Broyles joined California Advocates in 2006, bringing with her over 26 years of legislative and political experience at both the state and federal level. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Broyles was the director of Employee Relations and Small Business for the California Chamber of Commerce for over 15 years. She covered all issues affecting the relationship between employers and their employees, as well as high priority issues impacting California’s small business community.

From 1986 to 1991, Broyles was legislative assistant to Assembly Minority Whip Tom McClintock. She worked four years for the U.S. House of Representatives, including two years as a confidential assistant to then-House Minority Whip Trent Lott. Broyles also spent two years administering a project investigating fraud and waste in the U.S. defense budget for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C.

Broyles attended Loyola Marymount University and the University of San Diego, majoring in political science and international economics.
 

Dennis Albiani has over 11 years experience in advocacy and public policy. He was most recently the Deputy Legislative Secretary for Resources, Energy, Food and Agriculture and Cal EPA for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Previously, he served in the Davis administration as the appointed Deputy Secretary at California Department of Food and Agriculture. His legislative experience includes a position as consultant to the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources for then state Senator, now Congressman Costa and as Government Affairs Counsel for the Agricultural Council of California. He has extensive business experience in livestock production, real estate and land use. Dennis is a member of the California State Bar and graduated from McGeorge School of Law with distinction.

Dennis has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Business and minor in Water Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he was recognized as an outstanding graduate from the College of Agriculture. Dennis was a fellow in the prestigious California Agricultural Leadership Program and a graduate from the Dale Carnegie Institute. Dennis' wife Beth is a teacher and they have four children, Nicolas 5, and triplet girls born June 10, 2004.
 

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