I've flown an airship into Fullerton 3 or 4 times, and the joint was always jumpin' with numerous air operations. Some airports are sufficiently busy as to require tower controllers, and I suggest that Fullerton is one of them.
Consider also that Fullerton is among and beneath some rather complex airspace, gets its share of coastal stratus, and (IIRC) there is a tallish radio transmission tower practically in the northbound departure path (meaning that the tower peeps probably save several lives a year just by turning pilots away from the radio tower.)
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Of course, there aren't, which makes FUL that much more in demand.
The tower you refer to was the 750' KFI radio tower sitting less than two miles WNW from the end of runway 06/24. It came down on a clear Sunday morning in 2004 when a small plane crashed into it enroute to Fullerton. There is a short account on Wikipedia of the tragedy and the ensuing difficulties they had in erecting a replacement tower, which is now equipped with strobe lights to warn pilots.
In the early years, the KFI tower was all by itself in the middle of a cow pasture, which placement helped extend the 50,000-watt signal's range. Nowadays, the area is filled with warehouses and light industry. But the tower is visible for miles, even at "just" 684 ft.
An auxiliary tower, a few hundred feet west, was pressed into service shortly after the 750-foot tower was destroyed by the crash.
Correct on all counts. And some years back, a plane hit the radio tower which was supposed to have been rebuilt, but I'm not sure that it has been.