Mr. Alvarado has over 32 years experience in the Criminal Justice system. He began his career in 1979 as a Group Counselor with the Riverside County Juvenile Hall and eventually promoted to Deputy Probation Officer, Adult Investigations. He joined the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) in 1985 as a Correctional Officer. He promoted through the ranks and retired in December of 2011, as the Chief Deputy Warden at the California Institution for Men in Chino.

He is also a sixteen year elected board member and Vice-Chair for the CRC Federal Credit Union (CRCFCU) in Norco, California. The CRCFCU has over 2,000 members who work in Southern California prisons and parole.