B757 FLC FAILED TO DSND AND MAKE REQUIRED XING RESTR SPECIFIED ON THE STAR TO WHICH THEY HAD BEEN CLRED; DUE TO ANTICIPATING A MORE DESIRABLE STAR REQUESTED EARLIER.

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WE WERE OPERATING FROM CHICAGO TO LAX. OUR ROUTING WAS DIRECT TO CIVET INTXN. OUR FILED RTE WAS THE CIVET 4 ARR. IT IS VERY COMMON FOR THE ARR TO BE CHANGED BACK AND FORTH WITH THE MITTS ARR. AS WE APCHED CIVET; ZLA HAD BEEN INFORMING ACFT THAT THEY WOULD BE ASSIGNING THEIR SPECIFIC ARR BY SOCAL APCH. WHEN WE WERE SWITCHED TO SOCAL APCH; WE CHKED IN AT FL190. WE WERE TOLD TO 'FLY THE CIVET 4 ARR.' WE MENTIONED THAT 'OUR GATES ARE ON THE N SIDE;' HOPING TO BE GIVEN THE MITTS 1 ARR TO RWY 24R. HE SAID HE WOULD WORK IT OUT IF HE COULD. AS WE APCHED CIVET INTXN; MY FO AND I WERE WONDERING WHEN WE WERE GOING TO BE GIVEN CLRNC TO DSND OR TO CROSS CIVET AT 17000 FT OR BELOW; ON THE ARR; OR TO COMPLY WITH THE ARR RESTRS. SPECIFICALLY WE WERE WAITING TO HEAR THE CTLR STATE 'DSND VIA THE CIVET 4 ARR.' (SEE ENCLOSED COPY OF A RECENT COMPANY MEMO TO OUR PLT GROUP.) WE NEVER RECEIVED THE DSCNT CLRNC. AS WE ARRIVED OVER CIVET; AT FL190; WE ASKED IF WE COULD START OUR DSCNT; THE CTLR THEN TOLD US TO FOLLOW THE ARR RESTRS. WE COMPLIED WITH THE REMAINING RESTRS. OBVIOUSLY THERE WAS CONFUSION OVER THE ASSIGNMENT TO FOLLOW THE CIVET 4 ARR AND WHETHER TO FOLLOW THE ARR ALT. BOTH MY FO AND I DID NOT FEEL THAT WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO COMPLY WITH THE ARR RESTRS. IN HINDSIGHT; WE SHOULD HAVE QUESTIONED THE CLRNC EARLIER. THERE ARE A FEW PROBS WITH LAX ARRS. IT IS VERY COMMON TO FLIP BTWN 2; SOMETIMES 3; ARRS. FREQUENTLY THESE CHANGES ARE ASSIGNED AT VERY INOPPORTUNE TIMES. WE WERE PREPARED FOR THESE THIS TIME; AND WE WERE ALSO LISTENING FOR THE DSCNT CLRNC; AND WE STILL HAD CONFUSION.