Just a guess, but it grows like an oak.

Where is it and how big was the plant? Leaves remind me of Mahonia.

ajzcidelg said:Where is it and how big was the plant? Leaves remind me of Mahonia.

Leaves wrong for Mahonia.....now Berberis.
They are pinnate and leaflets are opposite to each other.
The link shows a single compound leaf of Mahonia with the individual leaflets.

https://www.google.com/search?...

Clustered buds, alternate leaves..... look right for Quercus sp...an Oak.

Oak Leaf Holly

My first thought was holly, but have no idea what kind.

@Silversurfer You're right. I didn't look at the phyllotaxy.

This leaf morphology is typical for a number of Quercus sp. native (and non-native) to California.

It is NOT a member of Ilex - those buds are entirely wrong.