Biography
William Velarde was identified as permanent strike chairman of the Confederation of Mexican Unions during the 1936 Orange County orange-grove strike. The July 20 Western Worker reports that Velarde, Espinoza and State Federation of Labor representative Fred West were arrested while driving through Fullerton the preceding Tuesday. It states that William Velarde remained jailed in Santa Ana on vagrancy charges in lieu of $1,000 bail. No sentencing, exact physical release date or complete custody duration is established. Source: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/westernworker/1936/v5n58-w319-jul-20-1936.pdf#page=2
The page 6 Lomita report names Velarde at the July 31 Confederation of Mexican Unions meeting that called off the Los Angeles County agricultural strike; it quotes him saying the strike could not be prolonged. This establishes a reported public organizing activity by the stated date, without an exact jail discharge day or a second custody case.
