Airport Board Tightens Rules After Member Billed $185,000

The Ontario International Airport Authority has imposed strict limits on member travel and pay following a review of spending records.

City Council member Alan Wapner billed the authority $184,997 for 72 trips between March 2021 and June 2026. These records were released under the California Public Records Act. Wapner served on the airport board until recently. His total travel reimbursement across five public agencies reached $283,630 over the same period.

The airport authority paid Wapner 64 times more than the other four board members combined. Board president Ron Loveridge received $2,865 for travel during the 2021 to 2026 period. The other three members did not request reimbursement. Wapner's trips included destinations in Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro, the Bahamas, Istanbul, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Madrid, and Hawaii.

Specific expenditures included a 17-day conference in Maui in January 2023 that cost $8,939.40. This trip included a $7,000 rental of a three-bedroom house in Lahaina. A trip to Rio de Janeiro in April 2026 cost $14,325 and included Wapner's wife. A September 2025 trip to Hong Kong cost $12,701, with airfare accounting for $7,437 of that total. Wapner defended the expenses in an email, stating that the travel was necessary for him to be effective in his position.

Loveridge said the spending met the authority's rules at the time. He noted that commissioners did not know about the trips because Wapner did not report back to the full board. The money came from airport revenue rather than tax dollars. Wapner also earned about a quarter of a million dollars in meeting stipends from the authority over the past decade.

On September 24, the airport board approved bylaw changes. Monthly stipends are now capped at $1,000. Members are 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 October 19, the board voted to create an internal auditing program with a full-time auditor.

The FBI searched Wapner's home in Ontario 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 were sent to Ontario International Airport and Ontario City Hall. No charges have been filed against those searched as of October 22. The City Council removed Wapner from all committee appointments. He dropped a planned mayoral run and is seeking another term on the council, where he has served since 1994.