In December of 2020, the Ontario City Council voted to allow unlimited campaign contributions to city council candidates. The State of California set a guideline of $5,500 in AB 571. This means that a single contributor can give as much money as they want to a city council candidate in Ontario.
Past competitors to have only been able to raise $15,000 to $20,000 for their ENTIRE campaigns, since most contributions are from local businesses and residents. This is a stark contrast to the hundreds of thousands of dollars the current council members have raised for their campaigns.
Have you wondered why so many warehouses are being built in Ontario? It could be because the city council members have received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from warehouse developers.
Have you wondered why you haven’t seen much more about Jim Bowman’s DUI? It could be because the city council members have received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the Ontario Police Officers Association, and the Ontario PD saw dramatic pay increases this last year.
These are just some of the largest contributions made in the last 2 years. I’m just a guy collecting this info after work, so there is definitely A LOT more to be found.
It is NOT normal for a city council to recieve these amounts of money from single contributors.
| Contributor | Amount | To |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario Professional Firefighters Assoc. IAFF Local 1430 | $55,000 | Jim Bowman |
| Ontario Police Officers Association PAC | $41,806 | Alan Wapner |
| Ontario Police Officers Association PAC | $36,500 | Jim Bowman |
| Archibald’s | $35,000 | Paul Leon |
| Ontario Professional Firefighters Assoc. IAFF Local 1430 | $34,000 | Alan Wapner |
| Firefighters for Responsible Government | $29,941 | Debora Porada |
| Ontario Police Officers Association PAC | $25,300 | Paul Leon |
| Portable Storage, LP | $25,000 | Alan Wapner |
| Herk Global Corporation | $20,000 | Paul Leon |
| Building Industry Association of Southern California PAC | $20,000 | Alan Wapner |
| Heim Industrial Advisors, Inc. | $20,000 | Alan Wapner |
| Archibald’s | $17,000 | Alan Wapner |
| Leon for Mayor 2022 | $15,000 | Alan Wapner |
| Safe USA, Inc | $11,000 | Ruben Valencia |
| Peter Rooney from the Sares Regis Group | $10,000 | Alan Wapner |
| Sares Regis | $10,000 | Paul Leon |
Sources
Ontario Municipal Code Sec. 2-10.06
Common Cause Municipal Index Report 2022