Some were furious. Others were sad, even tearful. Many more accepted the news with graceful resignation, trying to hide their worries.

At the end of a week that brought nothing but more grim economic news, that's how dozens of state workers greeted the state personnel department's announcement that thousands of California public servants will be furloughed two Fridays a month and lose 10 percent in pay, starting Feb. 6.

None found the prospect of two three-day weekends a month appealing in the current economy.

"Sweet Jesus, help me God," sighed Jolene Deaton, a vital records staffer at the Department of Public Health who lives in West Sacramento.

Deaton fought back tears outside her downtown office building as she clutched a state memo announcing the furloughs in one hand and a sacbee.com news report about the plan in the other.

"I'm a single parent. I'm barely making it as it is," Deaton said. "It's just devastating to me. It's awful."

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's furloughs aim to save the state more than $1 billion in an effort to cut a $40 billion budget deficit and avoid running out of cash. State employee unions argue that the Republican governor's plan is unconstitutional, and their lawyers have taken the governor and the state to court.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Patrick Marlette agreed Friday to hear final arguments in the case on Jan. 29.

Susan Mattson, 51, said she and her husband, Mike, who work for different offices of the Department of Employment Development's disability insurance branch, will suffer if furloughs proceed.

"We get hit twice," she complained during a walk around the state Capitol. "We didn't think it would happen."

Mattson was commiserating with two office colleagues, including Margo Hattin, 36, who was horrified by the news. Hattin just bought a home on her own.

Hattin said that anybody who thinks state workers will take a vacation or go on long weekend trips with the extra days off is dead wrong.

"Who's going to have the money? Staycations. That's the new buzzword," Hattin said.

For many, the announcement that state offices would be shut every first and third Friday to save money raised more questions than it answered. Eric Zhao, an information technology worker at the California Public Employees' Retirement System, wondered how furloughs will affect computer modernization projects under way at CalPERS that are run by big consultants.

"Will they close the offices? Will it push deadlines back because the consultants can't get in?" Zhao asked, adding he might have to get a part-time job himself to make up the income he may lose.

State worker parents with children in day care centers in state buildings that may shut were left wondering whether the day care centers also will close. Others wondered whether they could file an unemployment insurance (UI) claim for days they are furloughed.

Loree Levy, a spokesman for the Employment Development Department, said the pay cuts that most state workers may see will not qualify them for UI benefits.

Although Schwarzenegger announced the furloughs before Christmas, the announcement that most state offices would close two Fridays a month still caught some workers off guard.

"I didn't think it would be real. I thought it was going to be discussed more," Zhao said.

Bindu Kang, 37, a research program analyst in the Medi-Cal area for the Department of Public Health Services, was one of several state workers who greeted details about the furlough plan with resignation.

"There's upheaval, and everything else is doing poorly in the economy, so we cannot live in our bubble and live high on the hog," Kang said. "Like everybody else, we have to cut back and tighten our belts."

Kang was heading home to review her own spending. She may have to cut her lawn service or look for a part-time job to make up for lost income.

Truyen Nguyen, a staff services analyst at the Public Health Department, was stoic as he smoked and sipped coffee outside his office at day's end.

"The furlough is really a pay cut, and nobody likes a pay cut," Nguyen said. "But you gotta do what you gotta do to fix the budget."

Deaton urged the governor and legislators to raise taxes, not punish state workers with pay cuts.

She calculated furloughs will cost her $200 a month. She wondered whether she'll be able to keep her car or even keep smoking.

"It's about all I do," she said, pointing to a pack of smokes. "If I didn't do this right now, I'd lose my mind."

Call The Bee's Andrew McIntosh, (916) 321-1215.