https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/acer-buergerianum

https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/agonis-flexuosa

https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/arbutus-marina

A visit to the SC Botanical Garden may be helpful. Lots of interesting trees there that you could see at their mature size.

London plane is very fast growing but I don't know about black gum and Chinese pistache. My impression is that they are somewhat slow growing.

I wouldn't consider London plane low litter, though. It has tough (deciduous) leaves, not leathery like Magnolias, but still take long to decompose. It also has (soft) seed pods and also drops twigs and bark.

I suggest Ulmus parvifolia (Chinese elm) to look into. In my opinion, it satisfies many of your criteria: fast growing, low litter, interesting and pendulous limbs with broad spread (does need structural pruning when young though), disease resistant (although bark is thin and easily damaged by mechanical impact). There are different varieties: one (I don't know which) is white trunked with sparse foliage so stay away from that one.

The plane grows enormously and is covered with irritant hairs.

The London Plane around here is a perfect sized tree for our yard. There is one a few houses down and they like many streets . I’ve been under them a lot and have never noticed them being covered in irritant hairs! They are a recommended tree on several lists for our city.... nontree is “perfect” or litter free obviously.

Change need elm looks nice but I’ve never seen one here and I’m guessing has been wiped out by its many pests... it’s also listed as an allergy hazard (almost all trees are!).

https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/ulmus-parvifolia

yes Chinese pistache and black gum (Tupelo) are fast to medium growing.

I like the Planetree/Sycamores in big spaces, residential settings.....go hang out with some in parks and see. Their seed balls are less annoying than the sweetgum balls you mentioned OP. Over the winter I love the attention getting bark and the big leaves amuse me also.

Blackgum (nyssa sylvatica) is near perfect in places it grows well but it isn't the fastest growing fellow. They have been fussy transplants for me but I like them, a lot.

There is a site called Dave Wilson Nurseries that has annotated lists of shade trees with Sunset zones. I know nothing else about it.

>The London Plane around here is a perfect sized tree for our yard<

And the size they are now is?

If you are thinking in terms of an eventual 50 ft average crown spread your space is not big enough for this tree. For instance one in Seattle (USDA 8) was over 100 ft. wide in 2005.

>I’ve been under them a lot and have never noticed them being covered in irritant hairs!<

stiff hairs shed by the young leaves and the dispersing seeds; these are an irritant if breathed in, and can exacerbate breathing difficulties for people with asthma

The large amount of leaf drop in winter and small hairs on the under leaf can cause irritation.

The ball of tiny flowers matures to a dry seed head (the 'itchy ball') that when broken up and brought into contact with the skin, causes severe itchiness.

it has a number of problems in urban use, most notably the short, stiff hairs shed by the young leaves and the dispersing seeds; these are an irritant if breathed in, and can exacerbate breathing difficulties for people with asthma

Attention should be paid to the location of planting, as the hairs on the leaves can cause irritation to some people's noses.

The foliage of all [Platanus]species is pubescent (hairy) and these hairs can become a skin or breathing irritant.

Hairs from seeds and leaves are also released in spring and can be a source of intense irritation. The seeds and hairs are dispersed into the air by wind or vectors, such as birds, butterflies and bees, or from people pruning branches and raking leaves.

https://www.bing.com/search?pc=COSP&ptag=N1140D060418AE20BDC3E2E&form=CONBDF&conlogo=CT3210127&q=platanus+irritant+hairs

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/1713810/do-i-really-want-a-sycamore-tree#n=15

no tree is “perfect” or litter free obviously.

Very true. London plane's size, litter and allergen/irritant level may not be a problem for you and that's fine I think. It's actually a very tough tree surviving in high urban pollution. Very common street tree. People just generally don't like them for yards but to each his own.

'Columbia' cultivar is supposed to be better suited to the Bay Area climate.

Chinese pistache still sounds like a winner, have yet to hear serious negatives on it.

Yes, just make sure that the scaffold branches are spaced on the trunk and don't all originate from the same point. Chinese pistaches are often topped in the nursery to encourage them to branch, and then multiple branches originate from the same point. Just plan to eventually remove some of them so they're not all permanent branches. Also the females will have more litter due to colorful berries but some like them as an ornamental feature.

I agree with Callery pear. Spectacular fall color and spring blossoms, but poor structure and people complain of a bad smell when it blossoms.

Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia) is a great tree and is DED resistant. The cultivar 'Drake' is especially nice and is available in the trade. It will need pruning - the crown gets crowded - but is otherwise easy to care for. It is in leaf for about 10 months of the year in this area and the leaves are small so don't create annoying litter. Its crown makes deep shade and if you buy a decent sized one (24" box say) it will be good sized in a few years. Even the tiny #15 that I bought and planted a year ago is showing good growth. U. parvifolia blooms in the autumn with interesting papery flowers that the bees adore.

A fruitless mulberry produces just about the deepest shade of all - it's about 10 degrees cooler under the tree! However, mulberries have large leaves that will have to be raked and the roots are notoriously shallow. You can avoid some of the problems with the roots by the way that you plant it.

Yikes, pear - I can’t stand the smell of those blossoms and the wasps that come for the rotting fruit.

I will check out more about Chinese Elm.

Fruitless mulberry I am told is very short

lived, as in maybe 10 years - is that true?

Not true on fruitless mulberry. It's short-lived compared to a beech, which can live hundreds of years, but I have plenty that are 20 years plus in the ground and are just fine.

Looks like Dave’s is a no on Chinese elm for our area - highly allergenic and invasive are common complaints.

https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/173/#b

Dave's Garden may be useful for many things, but I can tell you that Ulmus parviflora is not invasive (I have never seen a seedling) and I"m not sure why anyone thinks it is allergenic. The vast majority of allergenic pollen comes from trees that are wind-pollinated. Those are trees that evolved before the insects, such as conifers and olives. I doubt very much that Ulmus is allergenic in any way. Most people have very hazy ideas about what is causing their allergies; they tend to focus on what catches their eye (Acacia get blamed a lot, for example, and they have heavy pollen that is not easily airborne.)

So if you like Chinese elm, go for it. If you don't, then don't. But it's not invasive or allergenic.