[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING BOB SCHELEN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 18, 2023

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Bob 
Schelen one year after his passing. Mr. Schelen, a resident of Davis, 
California, devoted his life to legislative service and Democratic 
Party organizing on both the local and state level. We in California's 
4th District are proud to remember his legacy here today.
  To honor Mr. Schelen, we must first recognize how his family's 
commitment to public service shaped his own. In the 1960s, Mr. 
Schelen's mother Maggie was a close confidant and associate of former 
California Speaker Jesse Unruh. Maggie mentored several legislators 
during that time, including then Assemblymember and later Congressman 
Vic Fazio. During Speaker Willie Brown's tenure, Maggie was essential 
in organizing the Speaker's Office of Majority Services (SOMS) which 
provides programmatic and constituent support to the majority caucus. 
Both Maggie's children, Bob and her daughter Delilah, spent most of 
their careers serving in the SOMS, thus following in their mother's 
footsteps.
  Mr. Schelen worked in the SOMS from 1974 to 2022. He served under 
every Speaker from Leo McCarthy to Anthony Rendon, where he specialized 
in communications work relating to constituent services and 
Assemblymember outreach. His devotion to the legislature could only be 
matched by his devotion to the LA Dodgers.
  Mr. Schelen was also an outstanding leader for the local Democratic 
Party. He was President of the Yolo County Democratic Central Committee 
for 12 years, from 2009 to 2021. He also served as Yolo County's 
delegate to the California Democratic Party (CDP) for nearly 40 years 
and held several CDP leadership positions. He co-chaired the standing 
CDP committees on Organizational Development and Campaign Services, 
where he worked to build up local grassroots infrastructure for the 
party. He was an indispensable resource and mentor to other local 
Democratic organizations, like the Davis Democratic Club, the Davis 
College Democrats, and the Sacramento Truman Club.
  Mr. Speaker, Bob Schelen was a dedicated public servant and leader in 
our community. Therefore, it is fitting that we honor his memory here 
today.

                          ____________________