Local Board Member Spent Nearly $185,000 on Airport Travel

An Ontario City Council member accumulated a travel bill of $184,997 for 72 trips over a five year period. According to records released under the California Public Records Act, Alan Wapner billed the Ontario International Airport Authority for these expenses between March 2021 and June 2026. Wapner held a seat on the authority board until recently. The total amount represents a significant financial outlay for a single board member over the specified timeframe.

The numbers reveal a stark disparity in spending across the five agencies where Wapner served. In total, the agencies spent $283,630 on his travel for 132 trips, which averages to about 26 trips per year. The airport authority accounted for the majority of this sum. The other four boards paid him a combined $98,632. When compared to the rest of the airport board, Wapner's reimbursement was 64 times higher. Board president Ron Loveridge received only $2,865 for travel during the same period, while the other three members did not request any reimbursement at all.

The travel log includes destinations such as Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro, the Bahamas, Istanbul, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Madrid, as well as repeated visits to Hawaii. A specific January 2023 trip to Maui for a 17 day conference cost $8,939.40. This expense included a $7,000 rental for a three bedroom house in Lahaina. His wife joined him on several occasions, including an April 2026 trip to Rio de Janeiro that cost $14,325. A September 2025 visit to Hong Kong totaled $12,701, with airfare alone reaching $7,437. Wapner defended these expenditures in an email, stating that his travel was necessary to be effective and that none of the trips were junkets. He noted that the trips provided access to key airline executives and federal officials.

Loveridge stated that the spending complied with authority rules at the time. However, he noted that other commissioners were unaware of the trips because Wapner did not report back to the full board. Loveridge also emphasized that the funds came from airport revenue rather than tax dollars. Separately, Wapner earned about a quarter of a million dollars in meeting stipends from the authority over the past decade. This amount is nearly double what Supervisor Curt Hagman received. The FBI searched Wapner's home on July 28, along with the homes or offices of Hagman, attorney Frank Lizarraga, and others tied to businessman James Su. Subpoenas were issued to the airport and City Hall. No charges have been filed as of last Thursday. The Council removed Wapner from all committee appointments, including the airport board, and he has dropped his planned mayoral run.

In response, the airport board approved new bylaws on September 24. These changes cap monthly stipends at $1,000 and limit members to one domestic conference annually and one international conference every other year, each requiring advance approval. Spousal travel is no longer covered. On October 19, the board voted to create an internal auditing program that includes a full time auditor. Wapner argued that the board was scapegoating him, claiming travel was a standard budget line item that members could have questioned previously.

Wapner's 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 described personal profit from public service as the definition of corruption. She called for clear rules and greater public scrutiny of officials.