2 oz per thousand square feet of concentrated soap is actually extremely good for the grass and gardens (it can be used monthly but once the soil flocculates and opens to water and air, it's not necessary to use more than once or twice a year). The reason why this works is complex and related to the cation exchange capacity of the soil and the ion diversity of the soil solution, which I certainly won't bore you with.
You're going to be using more diluted CP soap than that, and CP is a perfectly good substitute for concentrated surfactants. In addition, the soap is biodegradable at the same speed or faster!
While I'd mind excessive amounts, CP in and of itself is not a problem. If you're under that 2 oz of soap per thousand square feet per month, it'll actually be a major advantage.
I would advise that potted plants see pure water every other watering, however, to avoid buildup in the pot. When watering with plain water, give it a third more than required to make the pot pee--that flushes out built-up salts, of which soap is one.
Occasional flushes of soils are always a good idea, but not in the cards for you until winter from my understanding. If even then. Do the best you can.
As Chefmom noted, borax IS a problem. Natural boron levels in the soil vary by region, but even if you're somewhere where it's naturally very low, it can go into toxicity very easily. Optimal levels are around 700 parts per billion (0.7 PPM). Borax is about 11% boron by weight. It doesn't take much to move a soil into the toxic range.
At 1 PPM, no problem. 2 PPM and sensitive plants will start showing symptoms. 5 PPM and the soil profile is toxic to most plants until it washes out, which can take quite some time. Years.
Please avoid the use of borax in any form in your garden water unless you have a soil test (Logan Labs and UMass can help you out there) showing you need it, plus you've had your soil read by an expert (probably me) over on GardenWeb's lawn forum. Prescriptions for correction are generally in the tablespoon per thousand square feet range using Milorganite as a carrier. Southern California is not likely to be a boron-short area due to the lower rainfall. Check out photos of Boron, California to see what excessive boron does to soil...
Fragrance oils, super fat oils, oil types, sodium lactate, salt, sugar, honey, botanicals in the soap, and so on are never a problem (I can't think of a one that would be concentrated enough to be an issue). I probably wouldn't expose a highly sodic soil to more salt or sodium lactate, but we use so little it's unlikely to cause a problem--that's just a precaution. Overly cautious, really.
