44 Layoffs Announced by Magic Mountain

Six Flags Magic Mountain officials said Tuesday that the theme park has laid off 44 employees, more than 10% of its full-time work force.

The layoffs, announced Monday when employees reported for work, were effective immediately. They come at the tail end of the park’s peak summer season and seven months after Six Flags was bought by Oklahoma City-based Premier Parks Inc.

Magic Mountain spokeswoman Bonnie Rabjohn said the cuts were designed to improve efficiency and to “put our staffing in line with other companies that operate under the Premier banner.”

With its purchase of Six Flags for $965 million, Premier now operates more than two dozen parks across the United States and is the world’s largest regional theme park company.

Premier owns three northern California parks, including Water World USA parks in Sacramento and Concord.

With 3,000 employees between the months of April and September, and about half that many the rest of the year, Magic Mountain is the Santa Clarita Valley’s largest employer, park officials said. Prior to Monday’s layoffs, the park had 304 full-time employees.

Rabjohn said that layoffs affected several park departments, including administration, landscaping and retail sales. Those who lost their jobs will be given severance packages based on the length of their employment with the company.

One department where staffing was not reduced was security, Rabjohn said.

“That’s our No. 1 concern,” Rabjohn said. “No changes were made that would affect the safety and security of our guests.”

Two recent incidents have led some local residents and park visitors to question the effectiveness of Magic Mountain’s security.

In April, a 15-year-old Fontana boy was slain in the parking lot when a suspected gang member fired into a crowd shortly after the park had closed. In May, groups of marauding youths caused disturbances that drew dozens of Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies to the park.