City Official Billed Airport $185,000

A California city council member was reimbursed for 72 separate trips that cost the local airport authority nearly 185,000 dollars over a five year period. Public records released this week detail the expenses for Alan Wapner, who served on the Ontario International Airport Authority board until recently. The figures span from March 2021 through June 2026 and were obtained via a state public records request.

Wapner held seats on five different government agencies during this timeframe. He reported a total of 132 trips across all of them, averaging about 26 trips per year. These agencies collectively paid him 283,630 dollars for travel. The airport authority accounted for the largest share of that total, with the remaining four boards covering 98,632 dollars in combined costs.

The airport authority spending was significantly higher than the amounts paid to other board members. Wapner’s 184,997 dollar total is 64 times the sum of what the other four airport board members were reimbursed. Board president Ron Loveridge received only 2,865 dollars for travel in the same period, while the other three members did not request any reimbursement at all.

The trips funded by the airport took Wapner to destinations including Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro, Istanbul, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Madrid, and the Bahamas. He also made repeated visits to Hawaii. One notable expense was an 8,939 dollar trip to Maui in January 2023 for a 17 day conference, which included a 7,000 dollar rental for a three bedroom house in Lahaina. His wife accompanied him on several journeys, including a 14,325 dollar trip to Rio de Janeiro in April 2026 and a 12,701 dollar trip to Hong Kong in September 2025 where airfare alone cost 7,437 dollars.

Wapner defended the spending in an email, stating that his travel was necessary to be effective and that the trips were not junkets. He explained that they provided access to airline executives, concession operators, and federal officials who influence airport growth. Loveridge said the spending complied with authority rules at the time, but other commissioners were unaware of the frequency or cost because Wapner did not report back to the full board. The funds came from airport revenue, not tax dollars. Wapner also earned about 250,000 dollars in meeting stipends from the authority over the last decade.

The FBI searched Wapner’s home on July 28, along with the homes of other local officials and associates of businessman James Su. No charges have been filed as of October 22, and the specific focus of the investigation is not public. The city council has removed Wapner from all committee appointments. He has dropped his planned mayoral run and is seeking re election on the council, where he has served since 1994. Experts have called for clearer rules and public scrutiny to prevent personal profit from public service.

In response to the findings, the airport board approved new bylaws on September 24. These changes cap monthly stipends at 1,000 dollars and limit members to one domestic conference per year and one international conference every other year, each requiring advance approval. Spouses can no longer be paid for travel. On October 19, the board also 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 that members could have questioned previously.