MLG NMAC WITH AN SMA.

Narrative

WHILE UNDER ZLA CTL; PASSING 10500' FOR 9000 AT FILLMORE VORTAC; WE WERE ALERTED TO TFC RPTED AT 11 O'CLOCK; 1 1/2 MI (NOTE: ALT INFO NOT GIVEN). WHILE LOOKING AT 11 O'CLOCK; BOTH CAPT AND F/O SIMULTANEOUSLY PERCEIVED AN SMA AT 12 O'CLOCK; RECIPROCAL HDG; PASS APPROX 100' BELOW. THE PERCEPTION OCCURRED TOO LATE TO PERMIT EVASIVE ACTION. FOLLOWING THE NEAR HIT; QUERY OF CTLR ELICITED THE FOLLOWING INFO: ALT INFO ON THE SMA WAS AVAILABLE (RPTED AS 10600'); CTLR CONTENDED THAT THE TARGET HAD BEEN IDENTED EARLIER. NEITHER CAPT NOR F/O HAD HEARD OR ACKNOWLEDGED. THIS CONTENTION RAISES THE FOLLOWING POINT: GOOD CTLR TECHNIQUE WOULD BE TO SUGGEST A LEVEL OFF IN DSCNT WHEN 2 TARGETS ARE SO CLEARLY IN CONFLICT; PARTICULARLY WITH ALT INFO AVAILABLE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS CAUSED BY ARTCC: A) INCORRECT CLOCK CODE GIVEN. B) FAILURE TO STATE ALT OF CONFLICTING TFC. C) FAILURE TO CORRECTLY PRIORITIZE WORK DUTIES: i) EG; IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE CALL FOR CONFLICTING TFC; CTLR WAS READING A ROUTE CLRNC TO ANOTHER ACFT; FOLLOWED BY 'STAND BY ON YOUR READBACK' AND THEN OUR 1 1/2 MI ALERT. ii) CTLR SEEMED TO BE OVER-CTLING; PARTICULARLY FLT BEHIND US. TOO MANY XMISSIONS; TOO LITTLE CTL. WHILE I REALIZE THAT RESPONSIBILITY FOR SEE AND AVOID STILL RESTS WITH FLT CREWS; IT STILL IS INCUMBENT UPON ATC TO XMIT AVAILABLE TFC INFO IN AN ACCURATE AND TIMELY FASHION. UPON ARR AT BUR; I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED ZLA AREA MGR AND CONVEYED THE ABOVE INFO.