Well, this may be Andricus occultatus. The bud is deformed. There is obviously more than one gall in the bud--at least 4 exit holes on the top of the bud. I found a larva inside, which would mean at least 5 chambers.

Galls on Garrya elliptica (Coast Silk Tassel) leaf

These galls from an undescribed gall former have been seen before but are not listed on www.gallformers.org yet, and are not listed in the 3rd Ed. of Russo (2021). Here is what I could find:

• Garrya flavescens https://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/plants/Garryaceae/Silktassel,%20Pale%20(Garrya%20flavescens)/DSC_0214b.jpg
• Garrya flavescens https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4110092
• Garrya fremontii https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/60687183

Weld's unknown axil bud gall #191? Found empty by start of summer, he says. Looks like an egg in an egg cup. Holes look like they were cut from outside, given the "shell" bits scattered on the surface.

I collected this gall from a Coast Live Oak in October of 2021. I kept it in a container with the end of the branch in a little bit of water that I changed weekly. On January 21 2022 when I opened it to change the water, I found a hole in the gall and the wasp shown.

On coast live oak. I think these are galls - but I suppose they could be new growth. [edit: they are in fact galls]. However, they don't look like buds I'm familiar with, and I only found these on one tree [edit: after multiple re-visits, I found these on two trees]. This tree had a couple old Amphibolips quercuspomiformis, but the spring form of that gall is entirely different than this.

See https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/148539708 for what may be old forms of this gall, found nearby on the same tree.

See https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/148848266 for dissected gall

Separate observation for the winter ants:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/148539707

Stem galls found on trees that also had the n-densiflorus-tanoak-fuzzy-gall on leaves. Pulling both apart revealed identical gall structures and identical larvae. The larval chambers seemed typical for a lot of midge galls, being small "pockets" in the gall tissue which aren't actually sealed shut, and can be easily opened along the seam.

Russo's "Flange Gall" (2021, p128). On Q. douglasii. Most of these seem early stage to me, without the points at the base. This is the earliest I've seen any of the galls; previous observations were in Aug, Sep, and Oct. There is an insect next to the oldest gall. I can't tell what it is (no great photos), but I put together the "best" shots in the third photo.