A TRACON CTLR ALLOWED AN ARRIVING ACR E120 TO GET CLOSE TO A LNDG MD80 WITHOUT PROVIDING ADEQUATE SEPARATION BTWN THE ACFT.

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THE PLAN WAS TO MAINTAIN 250 KTS UNTIL 10 DME AS WE DSNDED INTO SFO INTL ARPT. WHILE PROCEEDING DIRECT BRIDGE OUTER COMPASS LOCATOR ON A SOUTHWESTERLY HEADING THE ONLY RESTR FROM ATC WAS TO 'HURRY THROUGH 5000 FT TO MAINTAIN 4000 FT.' BAY TRACON SOMETIMES ISSUES A SPD RESTR AS YOU ENTER THEIR AIRSPACE BUT THIS WAS NOT THE CASE THIS EVENING. THE SUN WAS LOW ON THE HORIZON MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO GAZE TOWARD THE W. I NOTICED JET TFC AT OUR 1 O'CLOCK POS AND APPROX 5 MI. I REDUCED PWR TO FLT IDLE AND BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN. THE TFC TURNED OUT TO BE AN MD80 AT OUR ALT HEADING E. AT THIS TIME WE WERE TURNED OVER TO THE FINAL APCH CTLR. AS WE CHKED IN WITH THE NEW CTLR THE FIRST THING HE SAID WAS 'WHAT IS YOUR ASSIGNED ALT AND TURN L TO 090 DEGS.' INITIATING THE TURN I BECAME AWARE THAT WE WERE CLOSING FAST ON THE MD80; A FEW SECONDS LATER WE RECEIVED A TFC ALERT FROM OUR TCASII. I WOULD ESTIMATE THE CLOSEST WE GOT TO THE MD80 WAS APPROX 1 MI. WE LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. IT WAS APPARENT TO US THAT THE PREVIOUS CTLR HAD DROPPED THE BALL BY NOT ENSURING ADEQUATE SEPARATION PRIOR TO HANDING US OFF TO THE FINAL CTLR. OUR SUSPICIONS WERE CONFIRMED AFTER WE LANDED AS GND CTL ADVISED US TO CALL BAY TRACON RIGHT AWAY. MY BRIEF CONVERSATION WITH THE TRACON SUPVR REVEALED THAT ATC HAD INDEED DROPPED THE BALL AND HE WAS INTERESTED IN HEARING MY STORY OF THE INCIDENT. HE ALSO INFORMED ME THAT THE CTLR IN QUESTION WAS NOW RELIEVED OF DUTY PENDING AN INVESTIGATION OF HIS INFRACTION.