Every year, after the shopping fervor of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, comes Giving Tuesday, a global initiative encouraging people to use their dollars for good. There’s no specific charity or organization tied to the movement—instead, you’re welcomed to choose the cause that lights you up and donate accordingly. To help you find the recipient closest to your heart, we rounded up 40 San Diego nonprofits fighting for social justice, environmental conservation, and everything in between. Donate your time or money to one of these meaningful organizations making a difference locally.
Feeding San Diego is one of the county’s most impactful hunger-relief organizations. To date, the nonprofit has provided San Diegans with more than 350 million meals through initiatives such as food drives, CalFresh program assistance, school pantries, food rescue programs, and more. The organization utilizes excess stock from local grocery stores and farms to reduce food waste while fighting hunger in our area.
Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank
The San Diego food bank distributed 50 million pounds of food last year and serves nearly half a million people every month across the county. As they advocate for the hungry and provide them with nutritious food, they educate others about issues related to food insecurity locally.
Lucky Duck Foundation
Lucky Duck funds and leads programs focused on aiding San Diego’s homeless population. The organization connects individuals to shelters, provides employment opportunities and job training, and delivers food and water to unhoused people.
Father Joe’s Villages
Established in 1950, Father Joe’s Villages have been a beacon of hope for San Diego’s homeless population. Each night, their shelters house 2,000 individuals, offering food, housing, and opportunities for those faced with serious illness, mental health issues, substance abuse, and domestic violence. Through their food, housings, education, and family services, Father Joe’s Village serves as a sanctuary for those in dire need within the local community.
Sharia’s Closet
Founded in 2006 by Shamine, Sharia’s Closet began with her personal mission to gather clothes, diapers, and hygiene essentials for those in need throughout San Diego. Today, this nonprofit has aided over 55,000 individuals, dedicated to providing emergency clothing to families and individuals facing crises.
Courtesy of the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties
Social Justice Organizations
This Is About Humanity
This Is About Humanity focuses on helping children separated from their families at the border. The org supports families by providing legal services, mental wellness checkups, and living essentials. It also funds educational trips to the border and fights for changes to the US asylum system.
GenerateHope
Founded by Susan Munsey, LCSW, GenerateHope provides sex trafficking survivors long-term care, mental health services, safe housing, and comprehensive education programs to help them reintegrate into society and build brighter futures. To date, the program has helped more than 160 women in San Diego.
Support the Enlisted Project
Support the Enlisted Project (STEP) aims to develop financial literacy among enlisted service members and recently discharged veterans. STEP offers counseling, education, and grants to military members and their families. The organization also maintains an emergency financial assistance program and distributes food, supplies for babies, and other items to military families in need.
Fundación Tijuana Sin Hambre
During the pandemic, Mexico reached its highest poverty level in a century. In response, Maru Rique created Tijuana Sin Hambre, an organization fighting hunger in San Diego’s sister city across the border. The nonprofit delivers 3,000 meals per day to shelters and orphanages throughout Tijuana.
AMVETS
AMVETS (American Veterans) works to assist local veterans through mental and physical health resources and housing programs. You can also support AMVETS by shopping at its two local thrift stores.
ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a public interest law firm working to protect human rights in the US. The organization’s local branch fights for equality, immigrant rights, reproductive justice, education equity, housing equity, and LGBTQ rights through litigation and lobbying efforts.
Courtesy of the Rady Children’s Hospital Foundation
Health & Medical Charities
Scripps Health Foundation
As the most highly ranked hospital in San Diego County, Scripps focuses on philanthropy with the new Here for Good campaign, which is raising funds for the expansion of the Scripps medical system and community programs. The Scripps Health Foundation supports medical research and care for patients facing cancer, Covid, neurological issues, and more.
Rady Children’s Hospital Foundation
The Rady Children’s Hospital is considered one of the top ten children’s hospitals in the US. Its foundation funds orthopedic, cardiovascular, neurological, genomic, and mental health research for local kids.
San Diego Blood Bank
San Diego Blood Bank donates 150,000 units of blood per year to hospitals throughout Southern California. The nonprofit also supports research into more advanced blood type matching and the usage of umbilical cord blood to treat various diseases.
San Ysidro Health
San Ysidro Health offers affordable care in more than 20 clinics across San Diego County. Children and adults can utilize San Ysidro Health for medical, dental, and behavioral or mental health services.
Foundations of Sharp HealthCare
The Foundations of Sharp HealthCare plays a vital role in supporting San Diegans through critical medical services, groundbreaking clinical research, and compassionate caregivers across multiple campuses throughout the city. Donations to this foundation contribute to emergency health services, art-based healing initiatives, support for women and newborns, rehabilitation programs, and various other philanthropic efforts.
GiGi’s Playhouse San Diego
Since 2018, GiGi’s Playhouse San Diego has been supporting more than 600 families in the area, offering free educational, therapeutic, and career-building programs for individuals with Down syndrome from prenatal stages to adulthood. Run by primarily by volunteers, GiGi’s Playhouse strives to help participants and their families reach their highest potential
Courtesy of Baja Animal Sanctuary
Animal Charities
Baja Animal Sanctuary
Established in 1997, Baja Animal Sanctuary is Northern Mexico’s only no-kill shelter. The organization sterilizes stray and abandoned animals, cares for more than 400 pets at its Rosarita campus, and finds forever homes for rescued cats and dogs.
Helen Woodward Animal Center
In addition to functioning as a shelter for rescued dogs and cats, the Helen Woodward Animal Center delivers pet food to homebound, low-income, and disabled seniors and veterans; offers educational and animal therapy programs; and operates two animal hospitals. Since its founding in 1972, the organization has taken in 44,483 animals and successfully found homes for 29,474 of them.
San Diego Humane Society
Every year, the San Diego Humane Society cares for over 40,000 animals, while sharing its expertise with other shelters nationwide. The organization raises orphaned baby cats in its kitten nursery, rehabilitates wild animals, and teaches kids about pet safety, among other programs.
FACE Foundation
The Foundation for Animal Care and Education (FACE) partners with local veterinary hospitals and healthcare providers to offer assistance to at-risk pet owners. The organization serves low-income families, seniors, students, military, and anyone at risk of losing their beloved pet by supplying financial support for vital veterinary care.
Voices for Children has supported the needs and well-being of local children in foster care for more than 40 years. The organization trains and supports Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers who spend time with kids in foster care and champion their needs before a judge.
South Bay Community Services
South Bay Community Services aids children and adults in need in the southern region of San Diego County. The organization offers early childhood education, mental health services, an LGBTQ center, resources for survivors of domestic violence, housing support, and other diverse programs. Through community efforts, the nonprofit has positively impacted the lives of over 50,000 children each year
ElderHelp
With over 350 volunteers committed to helping older adults live independently, ElderHelp coordinates care for seniors and provides transportation to appointments and social activities. Operating since 1974, the organization also helps connect seniors with affordable housing and provides other essential services for our community’s elders.
Meals on Wheels San Diego County
Meals on Wheels has delivered 624,887 nutritious meals to the homes of San Diego’s senior citizens. Volunteers also conduct safety checks and spend time with meal recipients to ensure the physical and mental well-being of local residents 60 years and older.
Teri Campus of Life
Founded in 1980, TERI Campus of Life provides lifelong support, education and vocational training to neurodiverse children, adults and families throughout Southern California. Its programs now serve more than 900 individuals and families each year, offering residential care, life skills training and community‑integrated support.
Promises2Kids, a dedicated San Diego organization, focuses on uplifting the foster youth population by providing them with invaluable opportunities, tools, and guidance. Over 3,000 foster youth have found support through developmental screenings, pet therapy, mentoring programs, engaging extracurricular activities, higher education counseling, and fundraising initiatives, all of which have been instrumental in helping them overcome various challenges.
Big Brothers Big Sisters San Diego
For 55 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego has been a cornerstone for local youth, offering personalized mentoring that empowers children to strive for positive outcomes. This local chapter arranges frequent mentoring sessions, typically 2-4 times each month, and offers tailored programs catering to San Diego’s diverse populations, including the deaf, Latino, and military communities.
Arts & Culture Nonprofits
San Diego Symphony
Founded in 1910, the San Diego Symphony performs more than 140 concerts each year in addition to bringing music programs to local elementary, middle, and high school students. The organization hosts a paid summer internship program for teenagers, helping them develop leadership and public speaking skills.
Resounding Joy
Resounding Joy utilizes music therapy to aid those suffering from depression, PTSD, brain injuries, and other disorders. The organization offers programs specifically tailored to children, military service members, and senior citizens, including songwriting workshops and music lessons.
Balboa Park Cultural Partnership
Balboa Park’s collaborative brings together 25 members of its art, science, and cultural organizations—including museums, performing arts groups, cultural centers, gardens, and the San Diego Zoo—to increase the park’s environmental sustainability and improve visitor experience.
Las Patronas
Since 1946, this devoted team of volunteers has partnered with nonprofits across San Diego County to fundraise and provide grants for key community services that benefit health, education, and cultural arts. Las Patronas generates funds through initiatives and events such as their annual Jewel Ball—a social, philanthropic tradition in San Diego.
Kitchens for Good
Established in 2014, Kitchens for Good is a San Diego nonprofit harnessing the power of food to transform lives. Since launching its Baking and Hospitality Apprenticeship program in 2016, the organization has provided over 700 individuals with hands-on training in culinary, baking, and hospitality skills, aiming to break cycles of poverty and promote sustainable community growth.
Courtesy of Serge Dedina
Environmental Conservation Nonprofits
Surfrider Foundation
Surfrider San Diego is an environmental activism group centered on the protection of local beaches and coastal habitats. This organization combats plastic waste and ocean pollution through research, beach cleanups, and efforts to pass national and local legislation.
Wildcoast
This international team strives to conserve Earth’s ecosystems and address climate change. Wildcoast manages protected areas, advocates for conservation policies, promotes ocean wildlife education, and works to protect coastal communities across Mexico, Cuba, and the US.
Berry Good Food Foundation
Founded with a focus on regional, sustainable food systems, the Berry Good Food Foundation has built a network of farmers, chefs, and scientists to improve local access to healthy food, reduce food insecurity, and provide nutrition education for San Diegans.
Living Coast Discovery Center
Located in Chula Vista, the Living Coast Discovery Center advocates for local wildlife through education and conservation efforts. The Discovery Center offers exhibits highlighting San Diego–area sea creatures, birds, and insects and hosts community events, local cleanups, and other projects.
I Love A Clean San Diego (ILACSD)
Originating as the San Diego War Against Litter Committee in 1954, I Love A Clean San Diego has spent over seven decades serving the community to keep San Diego beautiful and sustainable. In partnership with the San Diego Ecology Center since 1989, ILACSD organizes more than 600 community cleanups each year, collecting nearly half a million pounds of litter and working toward a zero-waste future for the region.
ECOLIFE Conservation
Founded by renowned conservation biologist Bill Toone, ECOLIFE Conservation is a San Diego nonprofit tackling major global threats to both people and wildlife. Known for its impactful initiatives, the organization has established the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico and delivered over 13,500 eco-stoves, which have preserved more than half a million trees in the process.
Before, during, and after the Fourth of July, San Diegans can commemorate America’s 250th anniversary with an abundance of stars, stripes and local celebrations. America The Beautiful: 250 at The Rady Shell and Lamb’s Players Theatre’s revival of American Rhythm will look back at the many songs which define our country. Liberty Station’s Anchored in Freedom celebration and the Independence Day Carnival offer community-centered fun and loads of family-friendly activities. And who can possibly forget the Big Bay Boom, which will resume its reign over San Diego Bay as the state’s biggest fireworks show. Outside of the holiday festivities, this week brings the yearly return of Little Italy’s Summer Sera and the Athenaeum Summer Festival, as well as a slate of championship matches for All Elite Wrestling.
Sip on refreshing beverages and savor a panoramic rooftop view this Friday from 6-8 p.m. during the 21-plus Sunset & Spritz at Margaritaville Hotel San Diego Gaslamp Quarter’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar. There will be a live DJ (until 9 p.m.), appetizers, pool and cabana access, a photo booth, and a cash bar (until 11 p.m.). To accentuate the summer theme, guests are invited to dress in white, pink, and orange attire. Tickets are $29 and come with a welcome aperol spritz.
616 J Street, Gaslamp
The 250 Grand Tasting Menu at Amaya
July 3 & 4
Bring a patriotic palette to the Fairmont Grand Del Mar for The 250 Grand Tasting Menu at Amaya this Friday and Saturday from 5-8:30 p.m. Patrons will be treated to a five-course tasting menu, curated to exhibit a selection of standout regional flavors and culinary concepts that have shaped our country’s distinct food heritage. The meal will also include beverage pairings with each course, such as wine, cocktails, and artisanal drinks. Reservations are $330 per person (with tax and 20% gratuity) on OpenTable.
Don Toliver thrives at being the life of the party (and the “After Party”). His fifth album Octane, released in February, is indicative of his thrill-seeking nature. As with his earlier releases, Octane sees Toliver operating in the space between hip-hop and R&B, with warbling vocals and blaring beats that are best heard at a high volume. This Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., Toliver will play at Pechanga Arena, with rappers SoFaygo, Chase B and SahBabii—who had a guest verse on Octane standout “K9”—as special guests. Tickets start at $156 for this concert.
What makes musicals like Wicked, Cats, Chicago, and Jersey Boys so timeless is the legion of excellent songs that makes fans out of those who’ve never even watched the show. This Friday at 7:30 p.m. during Blockbuster Broadway! at The Rady Shell, conductor Evan Roider, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, and veteran vocalists Alex Getlin, Jessica Hendy, Scott Coulter, and John Boswell (also on piano) will perform an all-star theater soundtrack. In addition to the shows named above, audiences can expect songs from A Chorus Line, The Phantom of the Opera, Annie,and more. Tickets range from $57 to $129 for this concert.
222 Marina Park Way, Embarcadero
America The Beautiful: 250 at The Rady Shell
July 4
One night after recognizing the brilliance of Broadway, The Rady Shell will ring in the United States’ landmark anniversary with America The Beautiful: 250 this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Conductor Byron Stripling, joined by a five-performer ensemble and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, will lead a night of ballads that best resemble the red, white, and blue, including songs sourced from the Great American Songbook. After the show, concertgoers are invited to watch the nearby Big Bay Boom from their seats. Tickets range from $71 to $139 for this concert.
222 Marina Park Way, Embarcadero
Athenaeum Summer Festival at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library
Ryan Hardison is a freelance arts and entertainment writer and recent graduate of San Diego State. When he's not staring at his laptop, he's likely eating an adobada burrito or getting sunburnt at the beach.
“This is insane!” the guy filming it seems to proclaim. “It’s the best fireworks show ever!” a companion confirms, inspiring a debate lasting over a decade.
All told, 7,000 fireworks exploded in the span of 25 seconds over San Diego Bay on July 4, 2012. A Michael Bay amount of unison. $125,000 worth of shells, cakes, Roman candles, and skyrockets had been placed on a barge—enough for 17 minutes of decorative sky flares—and…
Boom.
The sky looked like someone had set a giant Rorschach test on fire. Or as if whatever we all see in our Rorschachs—butterflies, clowns, tongue kissing, dads—was being electrocuted and lifted heavenward, amen. It was shocking how bright it was, how much it sizzled the local cosmos. Could’ve been one of those sci-fi films where a hole is ripped open between warring universes. But angstier, more metal—the work of some methy creator in a sleeveless concert tee.
The sound?
Lou Reed once released an entire album that contained 64 minutes of mindflaying guitar screeches and machine noises. No regular songs, just a fascinating amount of ear distress. His record label reps no doubt heard the melodic outro of their careers, but everyone else was in pain and stumped. That album still sounded better than the bay did that night. The bay sounded like a god who struggled with emotional regulation had blown his speakers and was working through the anger stage of AV grief.
In the left frame of the video, a middle-aged woman is attempting to drag her husband off by the hand. In no way does he want to go, possibly because he had missed the time Roseanne Barr sung the national anthem at a Padres game, simultaneously disemboweling and amusing America through the power of song. He would not willingly abandon an equally worthy San Diego trainwreck.
Another woman in the video appears to have just filled her beer, rushing to sit down for the show. She pauses mid-sit and returns to the full and upright position to properly bear witness. What was supposed to be prolonged entertainment has been so radically shortened that she will have to find another reason to drink. Lucky for her, drinking will be the only way to adequately process.
Locals remember the conspiracy theories. People wondered if the fuses had been tripped by a saboteur who was sympathetic to dogs, fish, or the growing suspicion that late-stage capitalism is a gorgeously branded but impossible dream sustained by remarkably efficient top-tier wealth retention and the soft compliance of fireworks-watchers who can no longer afford a house, a beer, or the personal impacts of human reproduction.
Speaking of being terrified of babies, babies were terrified. The children who witnessed it probably still can’t go near a candle store. But those kids will be tougher, perfectly scarred kids. They’ll write better songs.
That night helped us absolutely dominate the national news cycle. For a hot minute, we became America’s water-skiing squirrel. Now, years later, when you Google “fireworks gone wrong,” San Diego is always a top contender, along with that poor Nebraska family who nearly wiped out a couple generations in their front yard, their minivan somehow turning into a howitzer of recreational TNT.
There is still debate as to whether Big Bay Boom 2012 is the worst or greatest fireworks show of all time. But the advanced parts of civilization arrived at the truth as quickly as the women in the video did. It was undeniably amazing.
First of all, the point of Fourth of July fireworks isn’t “the intricate choreography of sky fire over a guaranteed amount of show time.” It’s about creating a vivid memory shared with some people you like, love, or would like to love.
BBB2012 used large-scale chemical fire to create the ultimate memory.
Sure, some people who iron their jeans subjected their family to a sermon about how San Diego managed to botch America’s birthday like a Disney princess-for-hire who smelled of quite a few Sauvignons.
The rest of us saw how perfectly it nailed the actual feeling of being an American. Because only a miniscule percentage of us bake postcard apple pies where every inch of crust is perfectly laminated like the wood in an Irish bar. Very few of us can paint on par with Picasso. The rest of us—despite truly believing in our America-activated abilities to achieve greatness in almost any field of our choosing—burn pies. We try to paint only to realize it looks like our fine motor skills have entered active death.
That’s why BBB2012 was the most perfectly American fireworks show ever: A wildly ambitious idea galvanized thousands upon thousands of people to both work on it and come to hold a beer and gawk at it, only to have it fail in the most glorious TMZ-level spectacle.
America isn’t about immaculate, storyless wins. It’s about how the framework of a country is solid enough that we can accidentally detonate our entire lives—a few times—and still probably be OK.
No one has America’d quite like San Diego did on that day. It was performance art. Lou Reed’s heart slow-clapped. Any brief municipal embarrassment quickly became a pride of our people. I can only hope the same for the Nebraskan yard family whose Dodge Aerostar became a hyperactive Death Star.
P.S. Local writer Maya Kroth compiled a quite great oral history of that night for Thrillist. The bottom lines for me were—it took nine months to prepare, no one was hurt, and even though the pyrotechnics company tried to zero out the bill, Big Bay Boom founder H. P. “Sandy” Purdon refused and paid them in full. This year will mark the 25th Anniversary of the yearly Big Bay Boom.
Troy Johnson is the magazine’s award-winning food writer and humorist, and a long-standing expert on Food Network. His work has been featured on NatGeo, Travel Channel, NPR, and in Food Matters, a textbook of the best American food writing.
Summer has officially kicked off, and San Diego is celebrating the sunny season with a myriad of fun events. From San Diego Pride week and a fairytale performance at Civic Theatre to a Santigold concert and Comic-Con, there are dozens of opportunities to make memories worth adding to your scrapbook. Here are all the best things to do in San Diego this July:
Divine inspirations, operatic ballads, and symphonic pop production elevate Rosalía’s Lux to heavenly levels. Hear angelic vocals ascend—in up to 13 languages—during her performance at Pechanga Arena.
Enjoy a night of feel-good indie rock and sing-along anthems at the Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre courtesy of Young the Giant and special guest Cold War Kids.
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Santigold collects genres like gold stars: musical accouterments that brighten her uniquely alternative sound. See her live in concert with dancehall producer Troy Baker Sound at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay.
Two male government workers pursue a secret romance amid the Lavender Scare in the San Diego Opera’s production of “Fellow Travelers” at the Balboa Theatre.
Audrey Hepburn. Marlon Brando. Salvador Dalí. What do these icons have in common? Each was the enigmatic focus of a Cecil Beaton portrait. Step inside Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World, an alluring showcase of 20th-century style at San Diego Museum of Art.
Courtesy of San Diego Pride
More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Month
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The Little Italy Mercato will trade morning rays for golden-hour glow through its free Summer Sera, an expansion of the neighborhood’s farmers market with live music, artisanal finds, and a fetching amount of pet activities.
11–19
San Diego Pride week starts with a Dyke March and ends with the two-day “Pride Shines On” festival. The days in between? Run a 5K, march in the parade, visit the rainbow-lit St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, and more.
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Dress up for a Mediterranean-themed tea time at the Estancia La Jolla, a laid-back yet refined afternoon planned for the resort’s monthly Tea in the Garden series.
23–26
Nerd culture’s biggest gathering returns to the Convention Center. San Diego Comic-Con welcomes fans of everything from comic book cinema to ultra-rare collectibles for panels, exhibits, sneak peeks, and much more.
Ryan Hardison is a freelance arts and entertainment writer and recent graduate of San Diego State. When he's not staring at his laptop, he's likely eating an adobada burrito or getting sunburnt at the beach.
Kelly H. Harfouche, founder of KQ Aesthetic Society, knows firsthand that cosmetic treatments like fillers, neurotoxins, and microneedling, can not only enhance a person’s appearance and restore confidence, they have the power to truly change a person’s life. An expert injector has the ability to tailor treatments to each individual patient’s anatomy and goals for personalized results. Harfouche, a board-certified nurse practitioner, has spent nearly a decade perfecting her craft as an aesthetic injector and integrating her multifaceted artistic skills with precision patient care. Her commitment to continual education and training, plus a passion for helping people look—and feel—their best, set KQ Aesthetic Society apart in a sea of local medspas.
For many people considering nonsurgical treatments, the intent is to look refreshed and refined. KQ Aesthetic Society’s philosophy eschews a cookie cutter approach that bases treatments around units, instead working to understand each person’s unique goals, then curating a treatment plan to fit that vision. Harfouche focuses on “inclusive luxury,” the belief that everyone deserves access to aesthetic treatments, respective of budget restrictions. She develops long-standing trusted relationships with her patients, and works with each one to achieve their aesthetic objectives and address the underlying causes of their concerns.
“For me, forming an honest and open relationship with every patient who walks through the door is essential. This means understanding them on a deeper level and meeting them where they are to define and achieve their individual goals,” she says.
Drawing on her artistic background, which inspired her transition into medical aesthetics, Harfouche sees each client as a “unique canvas.” Rather than relying on standardized procedures, the practitioner’s distinctive approach combines her profound understanding of the physiological and anatomical changes associated with aging with an unwavering commitment to ongoing education about the newest products and their mechanisms of action. Her goal is to make each patient feel beautiful in their own skin and to embrace their individuality.
She has also pioneered a way to combine her talent for aesthetic artistry with her philanthropic nature. Harfouche is one of only a handful of providers using dermal fillers to treat patients with lip asymmetry and scarring resulting from cleft lip surgery. Patients travel from around the country for this transformative treatment, noting increased confidence and a restored identity. She hopes to eventually launch a training program to help fill the void in this space.
“My passion has always been connecting with people and giving back in any capacity that I can,” she says. In the rapidly advancing landscape of aesthetic medicine, you can place your confidence in Harfouche and KQ Aesthetic Society to deliver exceptional care. To learn more or book a consultation, please visit kqaestheticsociety.com.
You’re coasting home after a weekend in Rosarito Beach—still riding the high of vitamin D and Baja Med—and then comes a slap back into reality: brakelights and gridlock exhaust.
Small wonder, given that San Ysidro is the busiest land border crossing in the western hemisphere (fourth-busiest in the world). Otay Mesa’s no breeze either; it’s the busiest commercial port in California and second-busiest across the entire southern border. Smart Border Coalition says that each day last year, 41,800 vehicles crossed into the US at San Ysidro; 17,800 crossed at Otay Mesa, along with 1,023,000 commercial trucks.
Diana Pazos, a San Diego resident and adolescent psychiatrist working in Tijuana, says the northbound border wait at the San Ysidro crossing is often three to five hours Saturday through Monday—delays that modern humans and multinational maquiladoras alike aren’t built to endure. At the current Otay crossing, “commercial trucks may be in line for six hours or longer,” she says.
Needing to bake a couple hours of commute into the States doesn’t just affect vacations; tens of thousands of people cross the border each day for doctor’s appointments, work, school, you name it. The clog has personal and commercial ramifications.
But change is coming. Construction has begun on a new border crossing in Otay Mesa, which is expected to significantly reduce wait times across all San Diego border crossings, bolster binational trade, and improve the air pollution levels in the area.
Nikki Tiongco, an 18-year Caltrans veteran who oversees the Otay Mesa East project (aka Otay 2) for the agency, says the new border crossing will also be among the most high-tech, efficient, and secure border crossings in the nation.
“We have already completed the roadway network within the Otay Mesa East region,” says Tiongco. Part of this project included building State Route 11, an extension of SR 905, which has been open to the public since August and will feed traffic to the new entry port. Otay 2 comes with a 21st century upgrade, too. Miles of fiber-optic cables have been installed underground, which gives the port the brainpower to efficiently sort and streamline traffic as cars approach the border. (Unlike the San Ysidro border, where lanes get organized by vehicle type, Otay 2’s lanes will be interchangeable. For example, if the system indicates that a high number of commercial trucks is heading to the border, passenger lanes could be converted to cargo lanes in real time.)
Otay 2, driven by a binational collaboration among government agencies (Caltrans, SANDAG, General Services Administration, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection), receives both federal and state funding, plus hefty contributions from Mexico. So far, funds from the $1.3 billion project have helped build new bridges and roadway interchanges that will guide traffic to the crossing. At this stage in the process, Caltrans is “laser-focused on building the facility itself,” Tiongco says.
Now, to the juicy part: the prospect of a “20-to-30-minute border wait time” at Otay 2, according to Tiongco. Currently, there are three standard ways to cross the border at San Ysidro: Ready Lanes, General Lanes, or SENTRI Lanes. Most travelers use either the Ready or General lanes. SENTRI Lanes require a form of pre-approval from the US federal government plus an additional fee. According to CBP, the average wait time in 2025 at the San Ysidro crossing, was as little as 15 minutes in the SENTRI Lanes, 45 minutes in the Ready Lanes, and 1.5 to 2 hours in the General Lanes. Those are best-case scenarios that vary based on lane type and time of day.
Otay 2 is about 12 miles east of the San Ysidro crossing and 2.5 miles east of Otay 1. Those not wanting to spend that much extra time on the road to drive to the new border crossing, despite the allure of an under-30-minute wait, are still expected to see some benefits. Tiongco says Otay 2 will “provide a relief valve” overall by spreading the burden across the three border crossings. As a result, SANDAG says, wait times at San Ysidro and Otay 1 could be cut in half.
It’s not just your time waiting at the border that matters. Multinational corporations that relocated their manufacturing plants (maquiladoras) to Northern Baja have claimed for years that the long delays at Otay 1 eat away at their profits. More than 600 maquiladoras, used by companies such as Samsung and Panasonic, currently use Otay 1 to transport products to US and international markets. Ambassador Alicia G. Kerber-Palma, the consul general of Mexico in San Diego, says the project will facilitate more than $60 billion in cross-border trade annually.
Previous reports say that Otay 2 also has the capacity for around 12,000 passenger cars and 1,500 commercial trucks daily. A shiny, new element to this port: Commercial and personal vehicles that choose to cross will pay a dynamic toll on both sides of the border. The fee will increase during busy hours and decrease during slower periods, Tiongco says. Caltrans estimates that the toll could range from $4 to $30 for passenger vehicles and higher for commercial trucks. Drivers will be able to see current rates before they reach the actual border crossing.
And, with these changes, there are environmental benefits, too. “With shorter wait times at all three ports, there’s less idling and congestion, which should significantly reduce air pollution on both sides of the border,” says Kerber-Palma. The main factor driving improved air quality would be decreasing dirty emissions from idling diesel trucks. This county’s air could use some sprucing up, anyway. A 2026 report from the American Lung Association named San Diego as the fifth-most particle-polluted county in the US. The bulk of that dirty air comes from the heavy-duty trucks and ships that pass through the area.
Otay 2 is not only expected to curb the acceleration of air pollution in San Diego; if the state’s legislature passes California Senate Bill 10, the border crossing could also restore local water quality. This bill would use a portion of Otay 2 toll revenues to fund ongoing maintenance of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant. Current media reports say, however, that it’s increasingly unlikely that SB 10 will become law.
Otay 2 has been in the works for over two decades and is finally nearing the finish line. Construction estimates show that it should be up and running in 2029. Tiongco says this border crossing is “a good example of how the state, federal and local governments are working together and with Mexico to advance our mutual goals in the region.”
Divorce, adjusting to single motherhood or coparenting, and the unexpected adjustments that come with it can turn even the most put-together woman’s life upside down. For many, these shifts trigger a profound loss of identity as that chapter of life officially comes to an end.
While Elena Barbour was navigating a divorce and raising two young children, other women in her circle shared similar experiences—one, a high-powered attorney, said divorce was the hardest thing she’d ever gone through. Barbour realized that women like them who’d gone through divorce, separation, or trauma needed support, but unless they qualified for low-income assistance or could pay top dollar for private services, there weren’t a lot of options. That led to the creation of the Luma Initiative, a nonprofit organization that aims to connect women with the practical resources needed to rebuild after a major life transition. The organization is currently developing its programming and plans to open to its first (already full) three-month cohort of women this fall.
“I consider myself a very strong, competent woman, but what I went through shook me,” Barbour says. “[There were] all these things that I did not expect, and that a lot of people looking from the outside couldn’t see necessarily. It was hard to relate. And I found that after coming out of this divorce, I needed to reshift my community a little bit because the challenges and the life stage of where I was compared to where they were now was just so different—even though I was surrounded by people, I felt very alone.
Courtesy of Luma Initiative
“So [we’re] trying to create that sense of community in this place for women to be like, ‘All these women are going through something similar and when I talk with them, I don’t feel so alone and I can let go of some of the negative feelings I’m feeling, and I can […] start to rebuild.’”
Luma Initiative’s program will include licensed therapist-guided support groups, and support via financial literacy advisors, life coaches who specialize in career building, and family law attorneys, plus therapeutic yoga at sister business Luma Yoga. They’ll also work with other nonprofit organizations as needed to create a “one-stop, well-rounded, holistic approach to supporting women who are going through this really big transition of life,” Barbour explains.
Barbour says Luma Yoga Studio in Little Italy will serve as Luma Initiative’s physical base, transforming into a familiar community-centered home away from home where women can feel safe. She leaned into yoga and the breathwork, meditation, and mindfulness that often come with the practice to get through tough times, and carries those tools with her “off the mat.” She hopes that other women will find that same sense of nervous system regulation. She emphasizes that Luma Initiative and Luma Yoga work as an ecosystem that provides both wellness and tangible support.
“The goal with Luma Initiative will be to help these women come back to themselves and their identity through community, and use community as a platform to rebuild,” she says.
Sarah Sapeda is San Diego Magazine’s Custom Content Editor. In her 15 years in San Diego journalism, she has covered charitable events, health care, education, crime, current events, and more.
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