Lara Korte covers state politics and is a co-author of POLITICO California Playbook. She previously covered the Capitol for The Sacramento Bee, and prior to moving to California covered higher education in Austin, Texas.

A native of Wichita, Kansas, Lara first got her start in journalism when a high school English teacher told her she was bad at writing fiction and should try non-fiction instead. She is a graduate of the University of Kansas, where she was editor-in-chief of the University Daily Kansan. During her time in college, she held internships at The Wichita Eagle, The Kansas City Star, The Wall Street Journal and The Cincinnati Enquirer, where she was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning project on the opioid epidemic. 

Lara lives in Sacramento with her two cats, Duckie and Baby.