How many wait till the last moment? I never send early.

Anyone else around here live in Az and work in Ca? I have a question regarding taxes.. For some reason this year Ca took 50% of what I paid into them.. In the past I would receive 99% of my taxes back from Ca but this year they took half.. Curious what's going on.. What am I missing here...

Currently my gf is in school and made no money in 08. I assumed we would not have to file a tax return for her, but I'm not sure. Is their any benefit to filling a return, even if you didn't make any money? Would it make her eligible for a stimulus check if we do file a return? Thanks