California’s recent drought has exposed deep problems with the state’s water infrastructure and sharpened conflicts over the state’s limited water supply, particularly between agriculture, ecosystems, and communities. Although the drought has pushed water systems to their limit and has caused extreme harm to fragile ecosystems and endangered species, it has also fueled a long-needed conversation about the state’s water use priorities. Powerful agribusiness interests dominate this conversation and have been using the urgency of the drought to solidify their control over water in California.