This tree is in my backyard in Poway, CA (Northeast of San Diego). It's about 30-40 feet tall, trunk about 2 feet in diameter.

I had a neighbor tell me it was a pepper tree, but it didn't resemble some of the pepper tree images I found online.

There are some black seed pods - nothing too fresh right now though. I'm not sure if they started out black or a different color.

There's also some weird, nearly vertical branches shooting upwards off some of the "main" branches.

Any idea what this tree is? I'm concerned especially because I want to put grass down beneath the tree, but I've read that pepper trees are very nutrient-greedy (?) and will kill/starve any grass beneath them...