Customs

Somebody upthread said that CBX is expensive. It is US$15 one way and Volaris includes the fee in your ticket price.

My apologies. Expensive is relative. I am used to grabbing the autobus from Tijuana Centro for MXN$15 pesos. However, the buses stop running around 9:30 / 10 pm so unless you want to sit around in the airport for several hours, that's not an option for these madrugada flights. For these flights, if you arrive in San Diego sometime in the evening, you have plenty of time to make your way to Tijuana Centro. The restaurants and nightlife are available aplenty. (Highly recommend La Corriente Cevichería for mariscos. It's on Calle Sexto y Madero, one block from Avenida Revolucion, the heart of downtown.) Then you can take an Uber or taxi from downtown TJ to the airport around midnight or 1 am. Shouldn't be more than MXN$400 pesos for the whole crew.

That is also an excellent option.

I had never really considered that since all the times before I have been leaving from my house in San Diego.

Now that I no longer have a house in San Diego, an evening in Downtown TJ might be fun.

Are you travelling light enough that you can haul everything around with you?
You could go to the airport, and check your bags, then go back out. Will the airline let you check your bags that far ahead of the departure?