Now that my younger son lives in San Diego, I can visit and also check out the mineral sites nearby.
The region a few miles northeast of Pala CA is famous for its tourmaline mines, but the area also yields aquamarine, kunzite, morganite, and triphane (yellow spodumene). There are a couple of fee dig sites in the Pala area that provide access for collectors. You can't go into the mines themselves -- the material is brought out onto dump piles that you can sift through. The hills/low mountains around Pala have pegmatite running through them that is rich in gem pockets, and there is a long history of mining around Pala.
I did alright, but I saw some much better finds by others, including a small but great-looking hexagonal aquamarine crystal.
First photo shows the general layout of the fee dig site that I went to.
Second photo shows the site of the now abandoned Tourmaline Queen mine. Google this name and you can read about its interesting history. In the photo, it is hard to spot as the area is overgrown, but the mine is just below the mountain peak and slightly to the right of the peak. It looks like a faint gash in the mountainside.
Third photo -- some of the surrounding hills with pegmatite outcrops.
Fourth photo is a small green tourmaline.
Fifth is small pink tourmaline.
Sixth is group of small pink and black tourmalines.
Seventh is grey-blue tourmalines.
Eighth is schorl (black tourmaline), which was very common, with larger crystals than what I've found in western North Carolina.
Last photo -- maybe some of the green tourmaline has made it into the Pacific, because the water looks wonderfully blue-green (overlook from the cliffs of Encinitas).

Very nice

They say California is wine, women, and weather -- sounds like the place to be.  Great trip report and finds!