alkaline water is great for humans but not too great to certain plants, maybe Irvine is treating their water somehow. The crispy leaves you seen could be a magnesium deficiency in conjunction with the higher ph. You can steep 1 cup of wood ash in a 5 gallon bucket of water for 24-48hrs and water your plants with with that to help combat the high ph in your water but with burn restrictions in CA finding wood ash may be hard. Another alternative would be using a product called "ph down" that is used in hydroponic setups. You can try using sulfur or phosphoric acid to lower the waters ph but If you're adding solid materials to your water you'll need allow the material to steep just like with the wood ashes.
