The city of Santa Monica, California, and local pilots are locked in a heated battle for the future of this important general aviation gateway, with both sides securing important victories and suffering setbacks in 2016. The latest round went to pilots after the FAA ordered the city to halt evictions of airport businesses, calling the city’s maneuvering “a clear contravention of law.” But the city may end up getting its way eventually as yet another airport disappears from our sectional charts.