Known for its scenic patio overlooking the Watsonville airport runway, Ella’s at the Airport closed suddenly this week after 10 years in business. The restaurant was the site of romantic dinners, community fundraisers – and, more recently, a public protest against a pro-Trump viewing party.
Watsonville Municipal Airport
Posted inEducation
PVUSD students can learn to build a flyable two-seater airplane under new career skills program
Pajaro Valley Unified School District said it is launching a new training program that will allow students to build their own working airplanes from scratch. Partners include Joby Aviation and Tango Flight.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Watsonville City Council to vote on Airport Road affordable housing
The Watsonville City Council will vote on an affordable housing project on Airport Road led by Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay at its next meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 22. The project will include 13 homes–11 three bedroom homes and two two-bedroom homes.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Joby Aviation Academy gets Watsonville OK, big win for Climatize, county housing market stays hot
A Joby Aviation school offering aviation career courses for high school, college and professional-level students is coming to Watsonville Airport, Jessica M. Pasko reports in her weekly local business roundup. Elsewhere, a Santa Cruz-based startup that helps renewable energy projects takes home a big honor, plus more news, names, notes and numbers to know.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Letter to the editor: Watsonville airport runway is not auxiliary
In a letter to the editor, a Scotts Valley resident writes that the runway at Watsonville Municipal Airport being considered for closure is anything but auxiliary.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Up in the air: Watsonville’s airport and housing clash on the runway
A new chapter has begun in the decades-old battle between growth and preservation around Watsonville Municipal Airport. A local pilots group is suing the city after the city council narrowly voted to decommission the airport’s auxiliary runway.
Posted inLatest News
Fatal 2022 midair collision at Watsonville airport ruled pilot error in final report
Pilot error was likely the cause of a midair collision that killed three people at Watsonville Municipal Airport in August 2022, the National Transportation Safety Board has found. The agency released its report March 28.
Posted inLatest News
Victims of midair collision over Watsonville Municipal Airport identified
In an update Monday, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office identified the three people killed Thursday when two planes collided in the air as they attempted to land at Watsonville Municipal Airport as 32-year-old Stuart Camenson of Santa Cruz and 75-year-old Carl Kruppa and 67-year-old Nannette Plett-Kruppa, both of Winton, California.