What are you wanting to screen? Typically tree placement for screening would be such that they are placed between the viewer the view that you don’t want to see or be seen from, such as the neighbor’s house from your patio. If you post photos of the view with comments about what you want to see or not see, that would be helpful. Also, what trees you choose and the particular size and form of each selection will effect how close to the the wall and to other plants each can be placed.

Thanks for the response and the primary function would be to screen the home behind me (picture attached)., which is visible from both the master bedroom as well as the entire backyard. My wife is also leaning towards the idea of selecting an evergreen for this purpose.

Some of the neighbors have redwoods (as seen in the picture) but these would be way to large for my space.

It is not too realistic a space allotted for "trees" per se. Looks more like you might need tall, narrow "shrubs," closely spaced. The narrower, the better. Maybe you can get a specific recommendation from a Cali/west coast or shrub forum.

You might also google "pleached trees" for another idea for screening in a narrow space.

Just throwing some options for consideration, hopefully others can comment on their suitability since I don't have a lot of experience:

I'm also in zone 9 NorCal and I have a similar need for screening trees lining a fence. I've planted an edible fig and a 'Natchez' crape myrtle. (Note that these are both deciduous because I have a south facing yard and I'm willing to forego the screening for some winter sun.)

They can both grow up to 30 ft, are quite tough, heat loving, can take hard pruning and shaping, and won't mind being a bit unbalanced so that the branches stay on my side of the fence. The fruit from fig is a plus although it will be harder to harvest once the tree reaches its intended screening height.

For evergreen screening you could consider bamboo. Running bamboo is more convenient but you'll have to contain the roots to prevent its escaping and invading other areas.

I also often see pencil Italian cypresses planted in such situations. They're planted every 3 ft or so and line the whole fence. I don't know if I personally like that look but it's very common.

I also see birches planted for narrow screening but they might have issues with borers and unsuitability to our climate.

Finally, if you are willing to plant a tree in the middle of your yard as a shade tree, a Chinese elm can grow 40+ft, and with its weeping branches can single-handedly screen everything. And its canopy can be raised quite high so you have a usable shaded space under it. I think it's semi-evergreen in our climate. This will be a very long project though and won't fulfill the screening purpose for a long time.

Before it's over, we're all going to need a gasoline pole hedge trimmer.

Texas Persimmons (Diospyros texana) & Pineapple Guavas (Feijoa sellowiana)! The Texas Persimmons are statuesque, small trees (or large shrubs) and the Pineapple Guavas are more like large shrubs (that can also be pruned into hedges if necessary). Both also produce edible fruits, are evergreen, and can naturally take a lot of heat and drought in Zone 9. I would just intersperse the former amongst the latter along your entire fence line.