who's fence is it? I would put some really really tall trellis' on your side and then put bouganvilla all over the place. Also some trees that don't need much water.

Olive trees are drought tolerant, and they can grow pretty thick. There are some next to a cross street we drive, and they cause traffic hazards. Very hard to see through or around them. I don't know about Italian Cypress for drought, but they make a tall hedge.

Sorry for your misfortune.

Permits have an expiration date. They must have reapplied and gotten approval. Or maybe it wasn't permitted.

... with a hedge of narrow, evergreen, juniper-like plants that will form a screen and grow 12' - 15' height.

So far we've thought of cypress, redwoods, ironwoods, not sure if trellis could go that high! Yeah, it's permitted...we checked. :)

Fairly fast, drought tolerant - zone 9

Rhamnus alaternus- requires absolutely no water once established.
Pittosporum tenuifoium
Myrica californica
Nerium standard form would look nice
Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid'
Otatea acuminata azectorum - need a bit more water than the above mentioned to look its best.

They have paid some annual fee to keep it active, and now are not held to current building codes. This in a county where our other neighbor had to do an archaeological study (in a subdivision that has been here for 50 yrs) before pushing out a wall. Go figure.

Thanks for the suggestions. A local nursery has a good sale for their retail customers every October, and I'd like to be ready!

Is there any "View" ordinances that you can not block?

Rather than going up, you might want to look for something that will give you an "Umbrella" coverage of the yard. Of course that totally changes what you can grow in the shade vs the sun.

Sorry about your thrilling new next door addition, good thing they did not add a deck/balcony so they can get a better view..... I have a similar issue with some wonderful neighbors who have a balcony that is just taller than the fence, only their oak tree covers the whole area and is protected by the city so I am limited to vines that can handle a lot of shade.