PCLA helps to transform underutilized urban spaces into healing, vibrant ecosystems—whether on school campuses, in fire-damaged yards, or in transitional housing communities. We focus on building knowledge, access, and agency, so that the benefits of restoration are felt not only in the soil, but also in the hearts and health of the communities we serve.
Community involvement is central to Plant Community LA’s mission and methods. Our programs are designed with and for the community, ensuring that local residents, youth, and grassroots organizations are active co-creators—not passive beneficiaries—of every garden, workshop, or restoration project we implement.
Our Team
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Parker Davis
DIRECTOR
PCLA Founder and Director Parker Davis grew up in Highland Park and San Gabriel Valley, the child of a biology teacher who along with a few other colleagues, created a forest school summer camp to keep the kids occupied when school was not in session. Having spent his early days round the forests and streams of the local foothills and canyons, he developed a passionate interest in the local ecology. Formerly the director of Hahamongna Native Plant Nursery, Mr. Davis’ derives his livelihood from sharing his enthusiasm for native plants and their myriad benefits for humans and wildlife.
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Portia Besocke, PhD
TREASURER
Portia Besocke is a transplant from the east coast, whose love for Southern California’s native plants is a classic example of how a place can surprise us and teach us new things. “Moving to Southern California, it took a long time to fully appreciate the local flora, especially, the Coast Live Oak trees. These trees look nothing like their east coast cousins, with their flat lobe leaves, large acorns, and deciduous nature. After many years, I finally admitted that Coast Live Oaks were in fact oaks. Now they are my favorite tree. They define the place where we live. Leaving their canopy, I lose my sense of place.”
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Nedelle Torrisi
DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Nedelle has been working in the non-profit sector for nearly a decade, as Executive Assistant to the Vice President of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and as Development Manager for both a theatre company and a youth arts organization in Brooklyn. She is thrilled to learn more about California native plants through her work with PCLA.