Tried to upload the photos, but they're not showing up. Please see these links:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_VbxDyZFGwScmU4dlhySi1TOVE/view?usp=sharing

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It looks dead. Have you tried cutting into a stem to see if there's any green?

I think the question would be exactly how much water it is receiving. Ceanothus need only just enough to get established - excess water is an almost ironclad guarantee for their failure.

"Ceanothus grows in a range of soil types but often is found on steep
slopes in soils with low or marginal fertility. . . . . it is not
surprising that most California species will endure long periods of
drought, are intolerant of summer wet environment (or watering ) and
require little or no fertilization. Ceanothus is often said to be short lived, but that may be mostly in
garden that insist on drip irrigation, summer water and soil amendments.
California native plants are generally intolerant of all of these."

Gardengal48 is exactly right. There are lots of ceanothus, but none should be on drip irrigation and summer water can be lethal. Check out this website for very valuable info: http://www.laspilitas.com/easy/easywatering.htm

I sympathize with your pain. Your ceanothus was beautiful! I just lost a few gorgeous Yankee Point bushes because I'm new at this. When I see the summer "death by water" symptoms, I try to prune off the offended branches and pray the rest will live.

If you figure out what "just enough water" is, let me know. I've killed as many ceanothus as I've started. Once they get going, they are pretty easy though.

What sort of drip system are you using, spaghetti lines or drip tape? How many inches of water a month are you applying to the area?

The whole, "no drip irrigation" is bs. It really should be, "no 1/4" spaghetti line drip irrigation with drippers next to crowns". If you set up a nice drip tape circuit and know what your precipitation rate is, it's pretty easy to use drip for natives.