Trish Ploehn, the head of L.A. County's embattled child welfare department, is being replaced and will be offered a transfer to another position, county officials said.

We reported recently about how Ploehn warned that a “smear campaign” had been waged against her leadership, allegedly by county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.

In our report last month it seemed clear to her that she would be transferred.

The Department of Children and Family Services has been the subject of controversial reportage in the Los Angeles Times, which has noted a rise a child deaths under DCFS supervision (a number that was disputed).

Her lawyer, Howard Z. Rosen, has stated that Ploehn “has successfully managed this large and complex department.”

On Monday Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said this about Ploehn:

“Trish Ploehn did her best under extremely trying circumstances. Her successor will inherit many difficult challenges. Along with a new department head, the Board of Supervisors, the Chief Executive Officer and the broader community–including advocates and the news media–will have to work constructively to meet these challenges. The problems are too deep for one person to take on alone.”

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