Ontario Councilman's $184,997 Airport Travel Bill Exceeds Colleagues' Totals by 64x

Ontario City Council member Alan Wapner claimed $184,997 from the Ontario International Airport Authority for 72 trips between March 2021 and June 2026. Records released under the California Public Records Act show this amount is 64 times higher than the total travel reimbursements received by the other four board members during the same period.

The other board members included president Ron Loveridge, who received $2,865 for travel. The remaining three members did not request reimbursement. Across five agencies where Wapner held seats, he reported 132 trips over five years, resulting in total public spending of $283,630 on his travel.

Airport-funded travel took Wapner to locations including Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro, the Bahamas, Istanbul, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Madrid. He also made repeated visits to Hawaii. In January 2023, he billed $8,939.40 for a 17-day conference in Maui, which included a $7,000 rental for a three-bedroom house in Lahaina. His wife accompanied him on several trips, including a journey to Rio de Janeiro in April 2026 that cost $14,325. A September 2025 trip to Hong Kong cost $12,701, with airfare alone reaching $7,437.

In an email, Wapner defended the expenses, stating that his travel was necessary to be effective in his position. He added that none of the trips were junkets and that they provided access to airline executives, concession operators, and federal officials. Loveridge said the spending met authority rules at the time but that commissioners were unaware of the trips because Wapner did not report back to the full board.

The airport board approved bylaw changes on September 24 to cap monthly stipends at $1,000 and limit members to one domestic conference annually and one international conference every other year. Spouses' travel can no longer be paid for. On October 19, the board voted to create an internal auditing program with a full-time auditor. Wapner argued the board was scapegoating him and noted that travel was a budget line item members could have questioned.

The FBI searched Wapner's home on July 28, along with the homes or offices of Supervisor Curt Hagman, attorney Frank Lizarraga, and others tied to businessman James Su. Subpoenas were sent to the Ontario International Airport and Ontario City Hall. As of October 22, no charges have been filed against those searched. The City Council removed Wapner from all committee appointments, including the airport board. He has dropped a planned mayoral run and is seeking another term on the council, where he has served since 1994.

Wapner also earned about $250,000 in meeting stipends from the authority over the past decade. His other board costs 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 stated that personal profit from public service is the definition of corruption.