Colusa Casino lays off 42

The recession has touched Colusa Casino Resort and forced it to lay off 42 employees in the past week, casino management has confirmed.

The layoffs trim nearly 10 percent of the casino-hotel complex’s full-time staff of 480, according to marketing director Don Kennedy, who said the casino faces keener competition for customers’ dollars in a sour economy.

“It’s parallel to any other recreational business, competing for wallet share with movies and concerts,” he said Tuesday. “So we’re probably fitting right into that discretionary spending that people have to decide on. It’s been more of a challenge than in the past.”

The cuts affected gambling, hotel and food service operations about equally, Kennedy said.

“Our guests aren’t going to see any real changes in service levels,” he said Wednesday in a follow-up interview. “That was the number-one concern.” One change that callers will notice is an automated phone system instead of a live operator.

Founded in the late 1980s as a card room, Colusa Casino Resort has evolved into the main moneymaker for its owners, the Cachil Dehe Band of Wintun Indians. A $20 million renovation in 2006 doubled the size of the complex, introducing a 55-room hotel, a bigger gambling floor and more restaurants.

It also has evolved into one of Colusa’s major employers, so the layoffs hit close to home. A recall list has been established should more workers be needed when the economy picks up.

“This is gut-wrenching for everybody,” Kennedy said. “There are people who left us who have family members who still work here. It’s a very, very difficult situation.”

In the meantime, the casino continues its efforts to draw customers. A Beach Boys tribute concert was scheduled today and Friday, there’s a car show set this weekend and prices have been reduced at the buffet.

Nor is it all gloom and doom for those still employed. The staff cuts added up to more hours for hotel front desk clerk Calyn Lucchesi, 19, of Meridian.

“It’s definitely sad to see employees you work with every day lose their jobs,” Lucchesi said. “On the other hand, I’m glad to have a job.”

Managing Editor Michael S. Green contributed to this report.