Originally Posted by
Kmxu
Or take SFO-SAN nonstop on another airline whether or not OP has a checked luggage. There is plenty of opportunity to visit LAX PL in future. (I will route to LAX in future. I have not set my feet at LAX PL yet, but have visited other PLs multiple times).
Checked luggage wouldn't affect anything since OP would need to collect them at SFO for customs. So OP can take SFO-SAN on AS or WN, which would mean skipping PL in SFO and LAX.