It’s not that simple. Water rights in California are complex, often dating back to the Gold Rush era. It’s based on ‘first come first serve’ - the first owner

It’s not that simple. Water rights in California are complex, often dating back to the Gold Rush era. It’s based on ‘first come first serve’ - the first owner to take a certain amount of water from a waterway can continue to do so. Directly modifying those rights would take a long time and be challenged in the courts. Also, the Central Valley is full of poor farmers who have already been badly affected by recent drought (just drive down there to look at the billboards), so restricting agricultural usage would be another nail in the coffin for their livelihoods.