Has it flowered for you? Looks like a hummingbird bush (Buddleia).

I agree. It looks like buddleia. It is a shrub, not a tree, and can be cut back a lot to make it bushier. It is drought tolerant. If you don't like it, maybe one of your neighbors would like to dig it out. It transplants fairly easily.

Here is a link that might be useful: drought tolerant plants

It has never had flowers since I moved into this house in December. Is there anything else it might be? If it's buddleia, should it be flowering about now?

Looks like Buddleia to me too. Is it in some shade?

Yes, it's in the shade of a very large tree. I think it only gets dappled sunlight.

Even planted in full sun, away from the coast, where full sun, means EVERT DAY, this is a leggy plant. You could take cuttings and make new plants, or wait until next winter and transplant it into the sun. I would not expect much bloom in the shade. Al

Even planted in full sun, away from the coast, where full sun, means EVERT DAY, this is a leggy plant. You could take cuttings and make new plants, or wait until next winter and transplant it into the sun. I would not expect much bloom in the shade. Al

If the plant were mine, I would shovel prune it, and plant a more shade tolerant plant and one more suited to San Francisco's cooler cllimate.

RB

I lived in CA for 60 years, SF for 10, and now North Carolina for 7. I had never seen Buddleia until I got to NC. FYI we call them butterfly bush here. I just went out and grabbed a sprig. Yes it is a match. Ours have been flowering for at least 6 weeks. Generally people cut them back to a foot high in the fall or spring.

Seems reasonable to yank it out since it isn't commonly grown out there but if you have time you could cut it back and see what happens