Lamar Cox

Lamar is native of Oakland, but he has lived in El Sobrante for 9 years. He really loves the community. The city is full of trees and trails, hills, and wildlife.

Over the years, he had been paying attention to the site that eventually became El Sobrante Nursery & Farm Store. One day, he saw the name and decided to check it out. He learned that PJ was involved in things that were near and dear to his heart: community, criminal justice reform, and combating food scarcity.

He has been interested in gardening since he was a child. He was always in the garden with his grandmother, and she taught him peace and patience—literally. In the 9th grade, he began learning how to cultivate cannabis and the culture of cultivation. It also became an introduction to diversity.

When he was about 20 and in college, he had the opportunity to take Horticulture, and he loved it. He figured that one day cannabis would be legal, and he could grow it for his family and friends.

Besides cannabis, his favorite plants are “Joseph’s Coat” and various aquatic plants.

PJ is also involved in reentry, which is something he is involved in on many levels. He has been incarcerated, and he also has elders in his life who are committed to prison reform. Some of them are finally being released after 30, 40, and even 50 years of imprisonment—sometimes wrongfully. He tries to help them reintegrate, and many of them are involved in the type of work that PJ is committed to. So it’s a perfect fit for him.