Have you asked at your counties office of your University of California Cooperative Extension Service?

Here is a link that might be useful: UC CES

Are they growing in size? Or does this seem to be their adult stage?
I bet the place where you purchased your emitters knows what they are....doubt that would have been the first time they had seen those...

Would you be able to take a macro shot (very close up) to gather more info about the appearance of these guys?

Hello! Thank you for replying!

@kimmsr I haven't asked my county office. I'll look mine up and email them.

@webkat they are not growing in size. They are reproducing like mad so I am thinking all the small ones I see are mature. I'll ask the local nursery next time I'm there.

All I have for pics is an iphone so it doesn't have a macro function already on it, but I'll see if there's an app I can buy or a cheap lens I can pick up. It's so hard getting a picture of these little things.

Do they jump? If so, likely springtails.

They don't jump :( They just crawl around on their little drip irrigation highway. Up close I THINK they have 6 legs. I thought they might be mites of some sort but looking up mites and garden in google gives me results of mites that destroy vegetation...these things aren't interested in anything green. I have seen some red mites attacking them but the red mites are vastly outnumbered.

I read on google I can put a drop of water on the lens of my iphone camera to turn it into a temporary macro lens. I'll try it this evening.

There are mites that don't feed on plants. Can't wait to see your image!