The political fallout continues in San Bernardino County following FBI searches on July 28. Councilman Alan Wapner, whose home was searched by federal agents, has dropped out of Ontario’s mayoral race and is instead running for a council seat.
FBI agents raided the homes of Wapner and San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman. Agents also executed a search warrant at Ontario International Airport. Both Hagman and Wapner serve on the airport’s board.
The FBI told KVCR the search warrants are under seal and declined to comment on the investigation.
Ontario’s city clerk’s office said Monday that Wapner withdrew from the mayor’s race last week. At the Aug. 4 council meeting, Wapner said he did nothing wrong and pushed back against calls for him to resign from his appointed positions, including seats on city committees and the Ontario International Airport board.
Mayor Paul Leon, who is running for reelection, led those calls at the meeting, saying elected officials and other regional leaders had contacted him about Wapner’s positions.
“They’re asking us to remove Councilmember Wapner from these commissions and board seats because he’s become a distraction,” said Leon.
Leon said the request was not about assuming Wapner is guilty of anything, but about keeping the city and airport focused on their operations, while the federal investigation continues.
Wapner declined to comment on the FBI search, but told KVCR he’s now running for District 3. He also endorsed Councilwoman Daisy Macias for mayor. The clerk’s office confirmed that Macias has filed to run for mayor.
“I’m running for District 3 because I’ve lived there over 30 years, and with the growth in South Ontario, I’d like to focus on improving quality of life there,” Wapner said. “This is about where I can make the biggest difference and with this being the first district election for District 3, I thought it would be better to focus on the people, instead of the politics being displayed by the Mayor.”
The council is set to continue discussing Wapner’s removal from city committees at its Aug. 18 meeting.
Meanwhile, Hagman’s son, Jonathan, was also running for a District 3 seat but announced Aug. 4 that he was pulling out of the race.
The younger Hagman, who serves on the Ontario Planning Commission, said he will remain in that position and is “committed to building the community residents deserve.”
Supervisor Hagman was notably absent from last week’s Board of Supervisors meeting. His office did not respond to requests for comment.
