ACR CONCERNED WITH XING TFC WHEN CLB STOP BY CTLR.

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ON CLBOUT FROM OAK ON RADAR VECTORS FROM ZOA PASSING APPROX 8300 FT MSL ON A CLB TO 15000 FT ASSIGNED; ZOA CALMLY INSTRUCTED US TO MAINTAIN 9000 FT FOR TFC. THE SPECIFIC TFC WAS NOT CALLED. AS THE FO READ BACK THE CLRNC AND AS WE WERE PASSING APPROX 8600 FT THE TCASII 'TFC' ALERT SOUNDED AND DEPICTED TFC AT OUR 10 O'CLOCK POS INDICATING 500 FT ABOVE OUR ALT (REMEMBER WE WERE JUST PASSING 8600 FT ON OUR WAY TO 9000 FT). I LEVELED OFF AT 8700 FT; ACQUIRED THE TFC VISUALLY WHICH PASSED DIRECTLY AHEAD (APPROX 1000 FT HORIZLY) AND ABOVE OUR POS (APPROX 500 FT VERTLY; WHICH WAS CONFIRMED BY TCASII INDICATION). HAD WE CONTINUED THE CLB TO 9000 FT WE WOULD HAVE BEEN IN A NEAR MISS SIT AND NO DOUBT WOULD HAVE RECEIVED A TCASII RA. WHEN ATC WAS QUERIED ABOUT THE TFC HE SAID; 'YEAH; HE WAS AT 9500 FT; THAT'S WHY I GAVE YOU 9000 FT;' OR WORDS TO THAT EFFECT. HE DID NOT SEEM TOO CONCERNED WHEN I TOLD HIM THAT WE WOULD HAVE HAD A NEAR MISS HAD WE CONTINUED THE CLB TO OUR NEWLY ASSIGNED ALT OF 9000 FT; NOR DID HE VOLUNTEER WHY HE DID NOT CALL THE POS AND ALT OF THE CONFLICT TFC.