THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE:

Unless the tides change, California will set a record for the latest date in history without passing a budget in about a week, but local Assembly Republicans refuse to budge on the issue of taxes.

Starting Sept. 1, the state might start seeing programs and services like hospitals go without funding if a budget is not in place, said Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, but raising taxes is not the answer to California’s budget woes. Assemblyman Van Tran agrees that under no circumstances would he consider voting for a tax increase.

“I don’t see raising taxes as a compromise. That’s a concession,” Tran said when asked what types of compromises the Republicans might be willing to make in order to get a budget passed.

Tran said the most likely outcome, and one that he would be willing to live with, would be to borrow money to fill the hole in the budget.

DeVore said it was likely that a budget might be passed by Friday. He blames the governor’s support of a tax increase for holding up the budget, saying that it weakened the leverage of those who refuse to raise taxes.

“We’re making slow, steady and meaningful progress toward a budget that would not raise taxes,” DeVore said.

Representing O.C.

Orange County has its fair share of delegates representing the area at the convention. There are 21 delegates from Orange County at the convention, 11 of whom were Hillary Clinton delegates going into the convention, and nine of whom were for Barack Obama. One was not listed as endorsing any candidate.

Huntington Beach and Santa Ana had the most delegates, with four each. While Costa Mesa sent one delegate, Newport Beach had no delegates sent to the convention.

HANGING OUT AT THE DNC

Steve Young, the Democratic candidate for Congress against Rep. John Campbell, is at the Democratic National Convention and had some interesting observations concerning the “party” atmosphere — and we don’t mean Democrats.

Apparently, there are a lot of shindigs going down outside and after the convention.

Young reports that hundreds of people are passing out fliers and trying to sway guests to attend their cause’s party or event.

“If I did not know better, I would say the sole purpose of the convention is to give the city something to do until the parties start,” Young said in an e-mail. “It almost seems like there are more events than delegates.”

As for the press coverage of the event, Young had something of a beef with CNN. Young was seated just behind the CNN broadcast platform with Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer. Cooper and Blitzer weren’t facing the stage; the podium was at the platform’s back.

“Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper are talking, backs to the podium, oblivious to anything going on in the arena,” Young said. “They can’t be listening because they haven’t stopped talking.”

DANIEL TEDFORD may be reached at (714) 966-4632 or at [email protected]. ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at [email protected].