Hi, I matched them up to redbuds from internet pics. Thanks to all who responded. I guess because there are female and male redbud trees that explains why I didn't have seeds in the pods.The tree must not have been pollinated.

kman04 - you're awesome! It is a Gold Medallion Tree (Cassia leptophylla). I tried for quite some time to identify my own local example of this tree last night online, after spotting it once again while out wandering my neighborhood. but the closest I got was the Golden Shower Tree (C. fistula). That's close, but no cigar, as the seed pods are just that - cigar-like. They're cylindrical, and don't have the right coloring and textures as the pods of C. leptophylla, which are very rectangular in cross-section. I brought home 2 of the huge pods last night. They're about 15"-20" long, and rattle like a rattlesnake tail. They're falling off it this month, making a big mess. I first noticed the tree last year when it exploded in yellow blooms, especially as the car parked under it (and under it again last night and tonight) is a sporty little yellow car, the same shade of yellow. It looked really cool, as the plume of branches and flowers made a matched-color umbrella over the car. The tree is between the sidewalk and street - a city-planted 'street tree,' and I've not seen another anywhere around here. I'm in zone 10, and registering here on this site just now, reading the page about zones, I saw this snippet in the zone 10 info: "You can't grow apples, but you can grow tropical fruits, as well as Bougainvillea spectabilis (bougainvillea), ***Cassia fistula (golden shower)***, Eucalyptus citriodora (lemon eucalyptus), Ficus elastica (rubber plant), Ensete vetricosum (Abyssinian banana), and Roystonea regia (royal palm)." Emphasis (***) mine. Cassia (Cassias?) grow very well here, apparently, in west LA. There are 2 very tall E. citriodora's across the street from me, too. Also, leaves of Bougainvillea keep blowing into my yard, though I've not figured out from where yet. Anyway, checking Dave's Garden's site for the gold medallion tree, every pic is a solid match to my tree. I brought home a twig of 4 of its long, opposite leaves tonight, between 11 and 13 leaflet pairs per leaf, and they match the DG pics exactly. The long, dark, rectangular-cross-section seed pods are a deed match, too, and both match the pic submitted here by the OP. The flowers in the DG pics match my memory of them (not blooming currently). I'm sold! It's a gold medallion tree. Great work, kman04, and thanks to everyone for helping me and the OP figure it out. Oh, and just as a side note: the seed pod skins smell a great deal like fruit roll-ups. Strawberry, I think. I'm wondering about distilling essential oils from them now :) Here is a link that might be useful: Dave's Garden - Gold Medallion Tree (Cassia leptophylla)

It looks like my African Tulip Tree pods, but a bit thinner. But the seeds also look correct. My guess- Spathodea Campanulata.

Mtn Laurel seeds are bright red. The pod looks like a smooth giant peanut and looks like gray suede. Here is a link that might be useful: TX. Mtn laurel seeds