Amgen Inc. announced Monday that 2,200 employees will lose their jobs under a restructuring plan that includes about 675 layoffs at its headquarters in Thousand Oaks.

The total was close to what the biotech company estimated when it announced last month that 2,200 to 2,600 job cuts were needed as part of a plan to reduce costs. Amgen has seen decreased revenue this year from its main anemia drug, Aranesp, after studies that raised safety concerns about anemia drugs and changes in how Medicare pays for them.

On Monday, Amgen spokesman David Polk said about 700 employees are taking voluntary buyouts. Eligibility was based on age and years with the company.

Amgen "recognizes that, obviously, these are people who helped build the company," Polk said, adding that the plan was fairly generous.

The company did not say how many people agreeing to buyouts work in Thousand Oaks.

After tallying the number of buyouts and accounting for a hiring freeze and attrition, the company determined it needed to cut 1,500 more jobs. Of those, about 45 percent are in Thousand Oaks, which comes to about 675 employees.

Polk said people taking the buyouts would start to leave in October, with the layoffs to follow.

Thousand Oaks city officials said the community would feel the sting, but the numbers could have been worse.

"You hate to lose positions in town," Councilman Tom Glancy said. "What we lose are good people in town. I'm sure we will see houses for sale."

With Amgen's reductions and anticipated job cuts at Countrywide Financial Corp., Ventura County could find itself with slightly negative economic growth next year, said Bill Watkins, executive director of the UC Santa Barbara Economic Forecast Project.

Countrywide also downsizing

Countrywide has announced it will slash up to 12,000 jobs nationwide. Amgen and Countrywide are Ventura County's largest private employers.

As a result, home values are expected to go down in Ventura County — more rapidly than in Santa Barbara or Los Angeles counties, Watkins said.

With two economic forecasts coming up in the next few weeks, for Oxnard and Camarillo, Watkins said, his team has been struggling with how everything is going to shake out, particularly with estimating the number of jobs.

Negative growth could require employers to adjust their own staffing levels in response, he said.

While the job cuts at Amgen could spawn small biotech startups or provide skilled workers for local companies, there is concern that some displaced workers might have to leave the area to find similar employment.

Conejo Valley leaders had mixed feelings about what to expect from the cutbacks.

Nancy Israel of Thousand Oaks, president of the New West Symphony, thinks the company's restructuring could weaken everything from ticket sales to housing prices.

"It's certainly not going to help home values," she said. "I think there's going to be a flood of homes for sale on the market."

Allen Reznick, president of the Conejo Valley Association of Realtors, doesn't anticipate it will create "an enormous glut" of properties. Those who take the buyout had years of good pay and stock options that provide them choices, he said.

Councilwoman Jacqui Irwin doubted the layoffs and buyouts would have an effect on the city's economy, because of its diversity.

"My heart really goes out to the families," Irwin said. "When you are one of the 675 chosen, it doesn't matter how it affects Thousand Oaks' economy. We will probably personally know many of them."

Since Amgen's restructuring plan was announced in August, the number of jobs leaving Thousand Oaks has been the subject of much speculation.

Two weeks ago, a Rapid Response official said the local cuts could reach 1,600. The agency works with companies and employees to coordinate job placement services during mass layoffs. The official had talked with a human resources employee at Amgen. But the company later said the individual was misinformed.

"Clearly, there's a lot less than that," Polk said.

Stronger company could result

Gary Wartik, economic development manager for Thousand Oaks, said the numbers came in lower than he had expected, which was good news for the community, businesses and Amgen.

"It's not as significant a hit as it could have been," he said. "I'm hopeful that will be the last of the cuts for quite some time."

Wartik said the cuts should help make Amgen a stronger company, which will make remaining jobs more secure.

Robert S. Vasquez is owner of The Alamo Mexican Grill & Cantina, a popular spot among Amgen employees. "My initial thought was, Wow, this is going to hurt us,'" he said. "Ever since we've been here, they come here in bunches."

On Monday afternoon, two Amgen employees eating lunch at The Alamo described the mood at the biotech company as "quiet."

"I think everyone is concerned about their co-workers," one of them said.

The workers declined to give their names or say what department they worked in, saying it was "too dangerous." Asked whether they were concerned about losing their jobs, one figured her department was secure, but the other quickly chimed in: "But you never know. That could change tomorrow."

— Staff writers Jenni Mintz and Teresa Rochester contributed to this report.