A320 CREW AND B737 ARE VECTORED AWAY FROM EACH OTHER BY SCT WHEN AN INCORRECT CLRNC IS NOT CORRECTED.

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AFTER HDOF TO SOCAL APCH; GIVEN DSCNT ON KAYOH 4 ARR. IN VICINITY OF DAWNA; GIVEN HEADING OFF OF ARR; ONE ADDITIONAL HEADING; THEN DIRECT KAYOH 4; 4000 FT. FO FLYING; CAPT RADIO. READ BACK CLRNC AND COMPLIED. DURING DSCNT; BELOW 7000 FT; WE GOT A TFC ALERT; SHOWING 300 FT BELOW AND WITHIN 2 MI AT 1:30 O'CLOCK POS. ATC THEN SAID TFC ALERT; CLB IMMEDIATELY. WE HAD SEEN A B737 ABOVE US AND SEVERAL MI OUT AT 1-2 O'CLOCK POS; BUT LOOKING FOR THE ALERT ACFT. TCASII THEN GAVE AN ALERT FOR THE B737 AND A DSND COMMAND. ATC CLRED THE B737 BEHIND US AND CLRED US UP TO 8000 FT. UPON LNDG; WE WERE ASKED TO CALL. WAS TOLD THERE MIGHT BE A PLTDEV. I SPOKE WITH THE MGR AND HE GAVE ME A NUMBER TO CALL BACK. SAID WE WERE ONLY CLRED TO 8000 FT; I HAD READ BACK 4000 FT AND THE CTLR MISSED IT. FO AND I FIRMLY BELIEVE WE WERE GIVEN 4000 FT AS READ BACK. MGR LATER CALLED AND LEFT A MESSAGE THE SEPARATION HAD NOT BEEN LOST AND THEREFORE NO ACTION WOULD BE PURSUED. HIS WORDS...NO HARM; NO FOUL. WE WERE VFR AND BEING VECTORED OFF THE ARR; THE 4000 FT CLRNC WOULD HAVE BEEN SUSPECT IFR; BUT NOT VFR AND ON VECTORS. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TFC THE CTLR WAS DIRECTING US AWAY FROM. WE NEVER SAW ANOTHER PLANE. HIS VECTOR DID DIRECT US UP TO THE B737'S ALT AS HE WAS TURNING TO US. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 537094: WE WERE ON THE PRADO 5 DEP OUT OF ONT ESTABLISHED AT 7000 FT MSL. SOCAL DEP ADVISED US OF AIRBUS TFC 10 O'CLOCK POS; 6 MI MAINTAINING 8000 FT MSL. ON OUR TCASII; WE MONITORED THE TFC DSNDING THROUGH 8000 FT MSL; WHEN SOCAL INSTRUCTED US TO CLB IMMEDIATELY TO 8600 FT MSL AND AN IMMEDIATE TURN TO 060 DEGS. WE COMPLIED. SOCAL DID AN EXCELLENT JOB. SOCAL REQUESTED US TO CALL ON THE GND AT OUR DEST. THE PHONE CALL REVEALED THE AIRBUS BUSTED ALT.