A B737-800 FLC FAILS TO CROSS AN INTXN AT THE STAR ARR PUBLISHED ALT WHEN TOLD TO REDUCE SPD FOR TFC PRIOR TO MAKING THE ALT RESTR AT ARNES; CA.

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AT 14000 FT; WERE TOLD TO DSND TO 12000 FT OUTSIDE OF BREMR ON CIVIT 4. SPD RESTR TO 210 KTS WAS GIVEN AT THE TIME SPD WAS 310 KTS. CTLR SAID HE WANTED SPD BEFORE ALT. WE HAD NOT REACHED 12000 FT AND WE WERE SLOWING. SAME CTLR SAID HE WANTED SPD BRAKE ALT. I DEPLOYED SPD BRAKES AT 12000 FT TO SLOW BEFORE DSNDING ON CIVET ARR. WE CROSSED ARNES AT 12000 FT. 1000 FT ABOVE ARR UNDER THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE CTLR WANTED OUR SPD RESTR FIRST. WE TOLD CTLR THAT WE WERE HIGH AND HE VECTORED US TO APCH TO RWY 25L LAX. TO ADD TO CONFUSION THE RWYS HAD BEEN SWITCHED FROM RWY 6L TO RWY 25L WE DID NOT KNOW WHICH STAR WAS TO BE ISSUED UNTIL CIVET. BOTH REDEYE AND CIVIT 4 CAN BE DONE FROM THIS POINT. ATIS WAS NOT ON ACARS AND CAPT WAS LISTENING TO ATIS WHILE I WAS WORKING RADIOS AND FLYING. WORKLOAD WAS HIGH. WHEN TOLD THAT THE CTLR NEEDED AIRSPD BEFORE ALT THAT IS WHAT WE DID. CTLR DID NOT COMPLAIN TO US ABOUT OUR ALT BUT I FELT THIS INFO WOULD BE HELPFUL TO NASA. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 474434: PREPARED FOR REDEYE 2 ARR. THOUGH ATIS WAS OVER 1 HR OLD WX WAS 1400 FT OVCST AND LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS. APCHING CIVET WERE CLRED FOR CIVET 4; WHICH IS SURPRISING CONSIDERING NOISE CONSIDERATIONS THAT TIME OF NIGHT. WHILE FO HURRIEDLY REPROGRAMMED AND CLEANED UP FMS; I LEFT ATC FREQ TO LISTEN TO NEW ATIS THINKING MARINE LAYER MAY HAVE MOVED IN REDUCING CEILING AND VISIBILITY (IT HAD NOT). WHEN I RETURNED TO ATC FREQ; APCH STARTED GIVING US DRASTIC SPD REDUCTIONS BECAUSE WE WERE CLOSING ON A DC10 PRECEDING US THAT DID NOT APPEAR ON TCASII. WE CROSSED ARNES AT 12000 FT VICE PUBLISHED MAX ALT OF 11000 FT AND IT WAS UNCLR THAT WE HAD RECEIVED RELIEF FROM THAT ALT RESTR. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: FATIGUE FROM 12+ HR DUTY DAY AND TIME OF NIGHT. ATIS NOT UPDATED TO ALLOW DESIRED PREPLANNING AND PREPARATION. COMBINED WITH UNSEEN TFC LED TO SOME AMBIGUITY IN OUR PRECISE ATC CLRNC REGARDING ALT.