Travel Expenses: Councilman's Airport Reimbursements Draw Scrutiny

Records show a city official collected nearly $185,000 for travel linked to his airport board role.

Newly released documents reveal that Alan Wapner, a member of the Ontario City Council, billed the Ontario International Airport Authority $184,997. These charges cover 72 trips taken between March 2021 and June 2026. Wapner recently stepped down from the authority board after years of service.

The spending spans five different agencies where he held positions. Over the same five-year period, he logged 132 total trips. This averages to about 26 journeys annually. The combined cost of this travel across all agencies reached $283,630. Beyond the airport authority, the other four boards reimbursed him for a total of $98,632.

The disparity in costs is stark. The airport authority figure is 64 times higher than what the other four board members received together during the same timeframe. Board president Ron Loveridge claimed $2,865 for travel between 2021 and 2026. The remaining three members did not request any reimbursement for their trips.

Wapner’s travel took him to global destinations including Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro, the Bahamas, Istanbul, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Madrid. He also made repeated visits to Hawaii. In January 2023, he charged $8,939.40 for a 17-day conference trip to Maui. This included a $7,000 rental for a three-bedroom house in Lahaina. His wife joined him on several of these excursions. One trip to Rio de Janeiro in April 2026 cost $14,325. A September 2025 trip to Hong Kong totaled $12,701, with airfare alone accounting for $7,437.

In an email defense, Wapner stated that his travel was necessary to be effective in his position. He insisted that none of the trips were junkets. He argued that the journeys provided access to airline executives, concession operators, and federal officials who influence the airport's growth.

Loveridge noted that the spending complied with authority rules at the time. However, he said commissioners were unaware of the trips. Wapner did not report back to the full board, leaving other members blind to the frequency and cumulative cost. Loveridge added that the funds came from airport revenue, not tax dollars. Separately, Wapner earned about a quarter of a million dollars in meeting stipends from the authority over the past decade. This is almost 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. It is not publicly known what investigators sought. As of Thursday, 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 has dropped a planned mayoral run and is seeking another term on the council, where he has served since 1994.

On Sept. 24, the airport board approved bylaw changes to cap monthly stipends at $1,000. Members are now limited to one domestic conference a year and one international conference every other year, each requiring advance approval. Spouses' travel can no longer be paid for. On Oct. 19, the board voted to create an internal auditing program, including a full-time auditor. Wapner said the board was scapegoating him and 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. 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 said, "Personal profit from public service is the definition of corruption." She called for clear rules and public scrutiny of officials.