Deputy Mayor Arif Alikhan has been appointed Assistant Secretary for the Office of Policy Development in the Obama Administration's Department of Homeland Security. His current boss, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, has good things to say in a statement.

“Arif Alikhan has been instrumental in advancing my administration's central priorities of preparing Los Angeles to respond to natural disasters and against the threat of terrorism, increasing public safety, and putting 1,000 new LAPD officers on our streets,” said Mayor Villaraigosa. “I wish him luck as he assumes this new role with the Obama Administration, and look forward to his continued efforts to help protect Los Angeles and our nation's cities."

Arif Alikhan was appointed as Deputy Mayor for Homeland Security and Public Safety in November 2006.

Prior to joining the Mayor’s office, Mr. Alikhan served as a senior official at the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. where he was responsible for overseeing the national Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIP) Program, as well as key advisor to the Attorney General on intellectual property and cyber crime issues.

Previously he served as the first Section Chief of a new Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section for the United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, the largest judicial district in the nation.

Mr. Alikhan began his legal career as a Judicial Law Clerk to U.S. District Judge Ronald S.W. Lew in Los Angeles and then joined the Los Angeles law firm of Irell and Manella where he handled civil and white-collar criminal defense matters. In 1997, Mr. Alikhan joined the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles where he handled a wide variety of criminal matters as a federal prosecutor for over eight years. He received several awards from law enforcement agencies for his work and was recognized by the Department of Justice for his superior management and supervisory performance.

Alikhan was instrumental in Mayor Villaraigosa’s initiative to put 1,000 new officers on the streets and now the LAPD has expanded to its highest level in history. Additionally, Mr. Alikhan oversaw and advanced the Mayor’s emergency preparedness and counter-terrorism initiatives, increased cooperation with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, worked to create the Fire Department's Professional Standards Division, and helped secure and manage over $400 million in homeland security and public safety grants for the Los Angeles region. He was also a key aid to the Mayor at major emergencies including numerous brush and wild fires and the tragic Metrolink crash
last year.

Mr. Alikhan graduated with honors from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles in 1993. He graduated cum laude from the University of California, Irvine in 1990 where he earned a degree in Social Ecology with an emphasis in Criminal Justice, Criminology and Legal Studies.