Airport Board Caps Travel After Member Draws $185,000 in Reimbursements
New rules limit trips and stipends for officials following records showing one councilman spent $283,630 on travel across five agencies.
By Natalia Costa ·
Airport board members in Ontario now face strict limits on travel and stipends. The new rules cap monthly pay at $1,000 and restrict international conferences to once every two years. These changes followed the release of public records showing one former board member collected $184,997 from the airport authority alone.
Alan Wapner, a City Council member since 1994, billed the authority for 72 trips between March 2021 and June 2026. Records obtained under the California Public Records Act show he spent a combined $283,630 on travel across five agencies where he held seats. The airport authority paid the largest share of that total. The other four boards paid him a combined $98,632.
The airport reimbursement was 64 times higher than the total for the other four board members. Board President Ron Loveridge received $2,865 for travel during the same period. The other three members did not request reimbursement. Wapner’s trips included destinations such as Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro, and Maui. In January 2023, he claimed $8,939.40 for a 17-day conference in Maui, which included a $7,000 rental for a three-bedroom house in Lahaina.
Wapner defended the expenses in an email, stating that the travel was necessary for him to be effective in his position. He said the trips were not junkets and gave him access to airline executives and federal officials. Loveridge said the spending met the authority’s rules at the time but noted that commissioners were unaware of the trips because Wapner did not report back to the full board. Loveridge also noted that the funds came from airport revenue rather than tax dollars.
The travel scrutiny coincides with federal investigations in the region. The FBI searched Wapner’s Ontario home on July 28. Agents also searched the homes of Supervisor Curt Hagman and attorney Frank Lizarraga. Subpoenas were served to Ontario International Airport and Ontario City Hall. No charges have been filed against those searched as of Thursday, October 22. 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.
On September 24, the airport board approved bylaw changes to tighten financial controls. Spouses can no longer be paid for travel. Each trip requires advance approval. On October 19, the board voted to create an internal auditing program that includes a full-time auditor. Wapner called the new rules an attempt to scapegoat him, arguing that travel was a budget line item that other members could have questioned.
Catherine Lhamon, a researcher at UC Berkeley’s Edley Center on Law and Democracy, criticized the spending pattern. She described personal profit from public service as the definition of corruption. Lhamon called for clear rules and public scrutiny of officials. The new bylaws take effect immediately for the airport authority.
Wapner’s other travel costs included $62,855 from the City of Ontario and $17,578 from Omnitrans. The Southern California Association of Governments paid $12,574, and the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority paid $5,625. These figures were part of the $283,630 total reported over the five-year span.
