Major budget cuts ordered across all Sacramento city departments will continue with more payroll trims over the next two years as the city works to reduce its budget deficit, according to a draft of Sacramento's budget presented Thursday.

Under the $964 million plan sent to Sacramento city council members Thursday, payroll cuts are at the heart of the city's plan to fill its $58 million deficit. In addition to employee cuts, another $20 million in "rainy day" funds are only expected to push the deficit to between $30 and $40 million by the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

At a candidates forum in Oak Park Thursday night, mayoral candidate Leonard Padilla critized Sacramento mayor Heather Fargo for giving a raise to firefighters in the middle of a budget crisis. "I told the firemen when I went before them, 'No, you don't get a raise. There ain't no money. I know how important you are to the city. But there's no money,'" he said.

Mayor Fargo did not comment on the raise for firefighters but did say the cuts should not take any police officers off the streets. "I don't want to cut any police officers that are actually doing patrol, POPs, all those kinds of things on the street."

Mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson did not attend the forum, leaving some to question why. "I think that he's talking in a lot of vague generalities. I don't think that he has enough of a handle to give us specific details," said Oak Park resident Beth Kivel. Others defended Johnson, saying he could take on the city's budget woes. "I'm hoping the Maloofs will kind of come around under his guidance and I think he might have that star power to really do some big things out here," said Oak Park resident Tim Boyd.

In anticipation of bad news ahead, city leaders instructed all departments back in January to plan for 20 percent cuts to their budgets. While a 20 percent cut is included in Thursday's budget proposal, the plan even impacts the city's most essential services, cutting city police and fire budgets by 8 percent.

City council hearings on the budget proposal were expected to begin next Thursday.