OPERROR LTSS BTWN ACR X AT 5000 FT AND ACR Y CLBING TO 5000 FT WITHOUT APPROPRIATE ALT LATERAL SEPARATION. RPTR THOUGHT ACR X HAD BEEN GIVEN CLB CLRNC TO 15000 FT AND WAS OUT OF 5000 FT IN THE CLB.

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I WAS WORKING MANHATTAN RADAR (DR-1). TFC WAS HVY AND COMPLEX WITH NUMEROUS LAX DEPS AS WELL AS NUMEROUS ENRTE ACFT AND SEVERAL SATELLITE DEPS. NEAR THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT; A GA ACFT ON THE VOR 11L APCH TO TOA WANDERED OFF COURSE TO THE R TOWARD HIGHER TERRAIN; WAS IN MSAW ALERT; AND WAS NORDO. ACFT #1 DEPARTED THE LAX N COMPLEX AND I CLBED HIM TO 5000 FT. ACFT #2 DEPARTED THE S COMPLEX A SHORT TIME LATER AND I CLBED HIM TO 4000 FT. I INSTRUCTED ACFT #1 TO TURN L DIRECT LAX VOR AND 'RESUME LOOP 9 DEP; COMPLY WITH ALT RESTRS.' I EITHER THOUGHT I HAD GIVEN ACFT #1 AN ALT OF 15000 FT EARLIER OR MEANT TO IN THE SECOND XMISSION. THE AUDIO TAPE RECORDING INDICATES THE ONLY ALT I ISSUED ACFT #1 WAS 5000 FT. AS ACFT #1 TURNED E I OBSERVED HIS ALT READOUT INDICATE 5000 FT. I BELIEVED HE WAS CLBING TO 15000 FT; SO I ISSUED ACFT #2 A NEW ALT ASSIGNMENT OF 5000 FT. AFTER THE ACFT PASSED I OBSERVED THAT ACFT #1 APPEARED TO STILL BE AT 5000 FT. I ISSUED HIM CLRNC TO 15000 FT. I WAS EXPECTING TO BE RELIEVED SHORTLY. THE TFC IN MY SECTOR WAS VERY BUSY AND I FELT I SHOULD CONCENTRATE ON WORKING IT. DURING THIS TIME THE SUPVR WAS DISCUSSING BRIEFLY COMBINING SECTORS SO THAT THE PARALLEL MONITOR POS COULD BE OPENED. I WAS UNSURE IF SEPARATION HAD BEEN LOST; IF SO I SUSPECTED A PLTDEV. WHEN I WAS RELIEVED FROM THE SECTOR; I ADVISED THE SUPVR OF WHAT I KNEW ABOUT THE INCIDENT AT THAT TIME.