LOS ANGLES, CA - Amid controversy over the placement of paroled sex offenders at hotels and motels near Disneyland, the state fired its parole chief and began removing offenders from areas closest to the theme park, officials said Thursday.

Parole and Community Services Division Director Jim L'Etoile was removed from his job late this week. Reached at home Thursday, he declined to comment on why he was terminated but said it wasn't because of the Disneyland-area placements.

"I don't believe it had anything to do with that, because all those parolees were housed in compliance with existing law," he said.

At a time of growing public debate about where and how to handle high-risk sexual offenders released on parole into California communities, the parole division has been criticized this month for its placements near Disneyland and on the grounds of San Quentin State Prison in the Bay Area.

The parole chief's departure is the latest in a series of top Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials to either quit or be reassigned in recent months. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office declined to comment Thursday, saying it was a personnel matter.

But the governor's "highest priority" is public safety, said Tim Tilton, corrections department acting secretary. "Any instance of a paroled sex offender that is inappropriately placed will be investigated and swiftly resolved."

Tilton's statement did not mention the departure of L'Etoile. Media inquiries were routed to the governor's office. The parole chief's removal elicited approval Thursday from two Orange County legislators.

Assemblyman Tom Umberg (D-Anaheim) said it appeared to be the "final straw" in a series of decisions that "were not well thought out." Assemblyman Rudy Bermudez (D-Norwalk), who represents a portion of Orange County, said it was "the right decision." The department was criticized after confirming Wednesday that 23 high-risk sex offenders had been housed within 11 miles of the Anaheim park.

Terry Thornton, a corrections department spokeswoman, said they had removed five offenders from the Anaheim resort area, some of whom were as close as three miles from the park.