Ontario Official Billed $185,000 For Trips

Alan Wapner billed the Ontario International Airport Authority for 72 trips that cost $184,997. The expenses covered a five-year period ending in June 2026. Wapner served on the authority's board until recently.

The total reflects 64 times the amount reimbursed to the other four board members combined. Board president Ron Loveridge received $2,865 for travel during the same span. The remaining three members requested no reimbursement.

Wapner reported 132 trips across five agencies where he held seats. Those agencies spent a combined $283,630 on his travel. The airport authority accounted for the largest share of that total.

Trips funded by the airport authority took Wapner to Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro, Istanbul, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Madrid and the Bahamas. He also made repeated visits to Hawaii. In January 2023, he charged $8,939.40 for a 17-day conference in Maui. That invoice included a $7,000 rental for a three-bedroom house in Lahaina.

His wife accompanied him on several journeys. A trip to Rio de Janeiro in April 2026 cost $14,325. A September 2025 trip to Hong Kong cost $12,701. Airfare alone for that flight was $7,437.

Wapner defended the spending in an email. He stated that the travel was necessary for him to be effective in his position. He added that none of the trips were junkets. He said the visits gave him access to airline executives, concession operators and federal officials.

Loveridge said the spending met authority rules at the time. He noted that commissioners did not know about the trips. Wapner did not report back to the full board. Other members were unaware of the frequency or cumulative cost. Loveridge added that the money came from airport revenue rather than tax dollars.

The FBI searched Wapner's Ontario home on July 28. Agents also searched the homes or offices of Supervisor Curt Hagman, attorney Frank Lizarraga and others tied to businessman James Su. Subpoenas went to Ontario International Airport and Ontario City Hall. As of Oct. 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. He dropped a planned mayoral run. He is seeking another term on the council, where he has served since 1994.

On Sept. 24, the airport board approved bylaw changes. These cap monthly stipends at $1,000. They limit members to one domestic conference a year and one international conference every other year. Spouses' travel can no longer be paid for. On Oct. 19, the board voted to create an internal auditing program with a full-time auditor.

Costs for his other boards included $62,855 from the City of Ontario. Omnitrans paid $17,578. The Southern California Association of Governments paid $12,574. The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority paid $5,625. Catherine Lhamon of UC Berkeley's Edley Center on Law and Democracy called personal profit from public service the definition of corruption.