Arthur L. Alarcon was born on August 14, 1925, in Los Angeles, California. He served in the United States Army during World War II, and was decorated for leading troops in combat. He earned his B.A. in political science in 1949 and his law degree in 1951, both from the University of Southern California. He married Sandra D. Paterson and has three children: Jan Marie, Gregory, and Lance.
Alarcon was a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles County from 1952 until 1961. In that post he prosecuted hundreds of major felony cases. Although Alarcon was a Republican, Democratic Governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown, Sr., appointed him clemency, pardons, and extradition secretary in 1961. In 1962, Governor Brown promoted Alarcon to the position of executive secretary. He left the governor's office in March 1964 and briefly served as chairman of the parole board before becoming a judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Courts in July. In 1978, Alarcon was appointed to the Second Appellate District of the California Court of Appeal by Governor Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr. In 1979, President James E. Carter named Alarcon to the Ninth Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals. He has since served in that post.
This interview focuses on Alarcon's service in the Pat Brown administration and its relations with the state legislature, but matters pertinent to the criminal justice system in California are also discussed.
Alarcon is the past president of the California State Bar Select Committee on Criminal Justice and of the Los Angeles Bar Association Committee on Criminal Justice. He was a founding member and past chairman of the Mexican-American Scholarship Foundation Assisting Careers in Law (MAS FACIL). He has also served on the board of directors of the Coro Foundation, the Los Angeles Boys and Girls Clubs, and the Performing Arts Council of the Los Angeles Music Center.
Alarcon has authored numerous articles and books including Criminal Law (1965), Criminal Procedure(1974), and Criminal Evidence (1978), all with Charles W. Fricke.