High poverty rates underscore the fact that Californians’ costs for housing, utilities, fuel and other necessities of life are among the nation’s highest.

Articles published around the country repeat assertions by Mouintain View-based Intuit that an IRS pilot program offering free tax filing would hurt Black Americans. A researcher whose work is cited by Intuit says the company is misstating her findings.

Across the state, organizers are banding together to make sure new congressional, legislative and local districts lead to diverse representation. The track record of the Citizens Redistricting Commission is mixed, according to two recent studies.