Ontario Councilman's $185,000 in airport travel draws scrutiny

Alan Wapner billed the Ontario International Airport Authority $184,997 for 72 trips between March 2021 and June 2026. The spending, revealed in records released under the California Public Records Act, represents a 64-fold difference compared to the travel costs of his four board colleagues during the same period.

Wapner sat on the airport authority board until recently. Across five different agencies where he held seats, he reported 132 trips over five years, averaging 26 trips annually. The combined cost for his travel across all boards reached $283,630. The airport authority accounted for the largest share, while the other four boards paid him a combined $98,632.

The disparity in reimbursement is stark. Board president Ron Loveridge received $2,865 for his travel between 2021 and 2026. The other three board members did not request reimbursement for their travel expenses. Wapner's airport-funded trips took him to destinations including Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro, the Bahamas, Istanbul, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Madrid. He also made repeated visits to Hawaii.

A January 2023 trip to Maui for a 17-day conference cost the authority $8,939.40. This included a $7,000 rental of a three-bedroom house in Lahaina. In April 2026, Wapner traveled to Rio de Janeiro with his wife, a journey that cost $14,325. A trip to Hong Kong in September 2025 cost $12,701, with airfare alone accounting for $7,437 of that total.

Wapner defended the expenditures in an email, stating that his travel was necessary to be effective in his position. He asserted that none of the trips were junkets and that they provided access to airline executives, concession operators, and federal officials whose decisions impact the airport's growth. Loveridge said the spending met authority rules at the time but noted that commissioners did not know about the trips because Wapner did not report back to the full board.

Loveridge also pointed out that the funding came from airport revenue rather than tax dollars. Wapner earned approximately $250,000 in meeting stipends from the authority over the past decade, nearly double the amount paid to Supervisor Curt Hagman. The FBI searched Wapner's Ontario home on July 28. Agents also searched the homes or offices of Hagman, attorney Frank Lizarraga, and others tied to businessman James Su. Subpoenas were sent to Ontario International Airport and Ontario City Hall.

As of October 22, no charges had been filed against those searched. The City Council removed Wapner from all committee appointments, including the airport board. He has dropped his planned mayoral run and is seeking another term on the council, where he has served since 1994. On September 24, the airport board approved bylaw changes capping monthly stipends at $1,000. The new rules limit members to one domestic conference per year and one international conference every other year, each requiring advance approval. Spouses' travel can no longer be paid for.

On October 19, the board voted to create an internal auditing program that includes a full-time auditor. Wapner said the board was scapegoating him and argued that travel was a budget line item that members could have questioned. Costs for his other boards included $62,855 from the City of Ontario, $17,578 from Omnitrans, $12,574 from the Southern California Association of Governments, and $5,625 from the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority. Catherine Lhamon of UC Berkeley's Edley Center on Law and Democracy called for clear rules and public scrutiny, stating that personal profit from public service is the definition of corruption.