ALT XING RESTR UNDERSHOT BY DSNDING MD80 OVER CEDES INTXN; CA.

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WE WERE STEP CLRED FROM FL350 TO FL310; THEN TO FL240 APPROX 10 MI E OF MOD ON MOD ARR. ALTHOUGH IT SEEMED THAT WE WERE BEING KEPT HIGH FOR ATC PURPOSES; WE DID NOT QUESTION THE PROFILE. OVERHEAD MOD (DME READ 4.4); WE WERE CLRED TO CROSS CEDES AT 11000 FT AND 250 KTS. I STARTED DOWN; BUT NOT AGGRESSIVELY ENOUGH (CEDES IS ONLY 32 MI W OF MOD VOR). THE CTLR CALLED US WITH APPROX 22 MI TO CEDES AND ASKED IF WE COULD STILL MAKE THE XING. WE THOUGHT WE COULD; SAID YES; AND MADE A MAX EFFORT DSCNT WITH FULL FLT SPOILERS AND INCREASED THE AIRSPD TO 330 KTS. A MIN LATER; I ASKED PIC TO CONFESS AN INABILITY TO MAKE THE XING AND TO ASK FOR RELIEF. HE DID SO WITH 10 MI TO GO AND ASKED FOR RELIEF AND THAT WE COULD ACCEPT A VECTOR. THE CTLR DID NOT RESPOND; BUT INSTEAD HANDED US TO THE APCH CTLR (WE WERE PASSING THROUGH 12600 FT) OVER CEDES. THE NEW CTLR ACKNOWLEDGED WE WERE OVER CEDES; BUT ONLY ASKED US TO INTERCEPT THE 095 DEG RADIAL OF SFO AND TRACK INBOUND. WE WERE THEN CLRED FOR THE QUIET BRIDGE RWY 28R VISUAL APCH WHICH WAS UNEVENTFUL.