Ontario Airport Board Caps Travel After Member Billed $184,997 for 72 Trips
New rules limit member conferences and ban spouse travel reimbursement following an audit of Alan Wapner's five-year spending record.
By Jonathan Hoffmann ·
Ontario City Council member Alan Wapner reimbursed the Ontario International Airport Authority $184,997 for 72 trips between March 2021 and June 2026, according to records released under the California Public Records Act. The new spending rules adopted by the board in late September directly address the volume and cost of that travel.
The board approved bylaw changes on September 24 that cap monthly stipends at $1,000. Members are now limited to one domestic conference per year and one international conference every other year, both requiring advance approval. The rules also prohibit paying for a spouse's travel expenses.
Wapner’s travel included destinations such as Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro, the Bahamas, Istanbul, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Madrid, and Hawaii. In January 2023, he billed $8,939.40 for a 17-day conference trip to Maui, which included a $7,000 rental of 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.
Across five agencies where Wapner held seats, he reported 132 trips over the five-year span, totaling $283,630 in public spending. The airport authority payment was 64 times the amount received by the other four board members combined. Board president Ron Loveridge received $2,865 for travel during the same period, while the other three members requested no reimbursement.
Wapner defended the spending in an email, stating that his travel was necessary for him 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 did not know about the trips because Wapner did not report back to the full board.
The FBI searched Wapner’s Ontario 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 Ontario International Airport and Ontario City Hall. As of Thursday, October 22, no charges are known to have been filed against those searched. The City Council removed Wapner from all committee appointments, including the airport board.
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 noted that travel was a budget line item that members could have questioned. He has dropped a planned mayoral run and is seeking another term on the council, where he has served since 1994. His other board reimbursements totaled $98,632, with the City of Ontario accounting for the largest share at $62,855.
Catherine Lhamon of UC Berkeley's Edley Center on Law and Democracy said that personal profit from public service is the definition of corruption. She called for clear rules and public scrutiny of officials. Wapner earned about a quarter of a million dollars in meeting stipends from the airport authority over the past decade, almost double the amount paid to Hagman.
