# Ontario (local, San Bernardino County)

URL: https://www.californiapeople.org/local/ontario

- title: Ontario
- type: city
- jurisdiction: City of Ontario
- region: West Valley

## Key findings
- **Measure H** would add a permanent half-cent sales tax (to 9.25%, the highest in the county), about **$32.5M a year** for the general fund. It comes four years after **Measure Q (2022)**, which was projected at $89–95M a year and now brings in about **$60M**. [^1][^2][^3]
- **The FBI searched Councilman Alan Wapner's home**, Ontario International Airport, and Supervisor Curt Hagman's home on **July 28, 2026**. The warrants are sealed and **no one has been charged**. Wapner dropped his run for mayor and is running for the District 3 seat instead. [^4]
- **Mayor:** Paul Leon has been mayor since 2005. His main challenger, Councilwoman Daisy Macias, was elected in 2024 with $50K moved from Wapner's campaign account. Wapner also paid about $37K for slate mailers for her this year, which she says she never authorized. [^3]
- **Mayor Leon says he won't campaign for Measure H**, even though he voted to put it on the ballot. [^3]

## Measure H: Half-cent sales tax for the general fund
**What it does:** Adds 0.5% to the sales tax starting April 1, 2027, raising Ontario's rate from 8.75% to 9.25%. It's a **general tax** (simple majority), so the money can go to any city purpose. **It has no end date.** The impartial analysis lists no citizens' oversight committee; the Yes argument promises independent audits. [^1][^5]

**Track record**
| Measure | Year | Promised | Actual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Measure Q (1 cent, permanent) | 2022 | ~$89–95M a year; $1.2B in projects (water and sewer $242M, broadband $118M, police crime center $41M) | ~$60M a year [^2] |
| **Measure H (half cent, permanent)** | 2026 | ~$32.5M a year, unrestricted | — |
[^2][^6]

**Money and conflicts:** The council voted 4–0 on Aug 7, 2026 to place it on the ballot (Wapner was absent). The Yes argument lists no named signers, only "firefighters, police officers, neighbors and small business owners." The No campaign (VoteNoOnH.com, FairOntario) points to the city-owned ONT Field stadium (about $100M, plus a $172M land purchase for the sports complex) as evidence that Measure Q money went to big projects. [^6][^7][^8]

**Does it solve a lasting problem?** The city hasn't publicly identified a deficit that requires it. Ontario's general fund is about $481M, the largest in the county. Mayor Leon says about 65% of local sales tax is paid by non-residents. The shortfall versus the Measure Q promise is the strongest reason to ask for a spending accounting before a second permanent tax.

**Both sides:** For: the city council majority, public-safety unions (per the Yes argument). Against: VoteNoOnH.com, FairOntario, the Inland Empire Automobile Dealers Association.

## Mayor
### Paul Leon (incumbent)
- **Key findings:** Appointed to the council in 1998 and mayor since a 2005 special election, re-elected 5 times. He leads Hope Chapel, a local church. He raised $96,449 from January 2025 to June 2026, about 15% of what Wapner raised. [^3]
- Voted to place Measure H on the ballot, but says he won't campaign for it. [^3]
- After the FBI searches, he led the council vote to remove Wapner from city boards and committees. [^9][^3]

### Daisy Macias
- **Key findings:** Elected to the District 4 council seat in 2024 with **36.4%** in a five-way race. She's 35 and a community relations manager at the affordable-housing nonprofit Hope Through Housing Foundation, part of National Community Renaissance, whose founder Jeff Burum is a major local donor. [^3][^9]
- **Money:** In 2024, Wapner moved **$50K** from his campaign account to hers. In 2026 he paid **$37,265** for slate mailers backing her. She says she "never authorized it." An outside committee run by Jim Previti, funded with $250K from IE Citizens for Government LLC, backs her through independent spending. [^3]
- She voted against removing Wapner from city committees after the FBI searches. Wapner endorsed her. [^9][^3]
- She declined KVCR's interview requests, but answered its questionnaire: public safety, homelessness and growth.

### Kevin Kizzee
- On the ballot. I found no independent reporting on this candidate.

### Nicolo Lalama
- On the ballot, running on ending new warehouse development. [^9] I found little other reporting.

## Council District 3
First-ever district election for this area (the council moved to districts in 2022). [^1]

### Alan Wapner (incumbent, elected at large)
- **Key findings:** On the council since 1994. He has raised at least **$3.9M** since 1994 and **$652K** from January 2025 to June 2026, the most of any local official in the county. [^3]
- **FBI search, July 28, 2026:** Agents searched his home and his attorney's office. The warrants are sealed and he hasn't been charged. He says, "I don't believe I am the suspect, the subject, or target of any investigation." He resigned from all his commission and board posts in August, including president of the airport authority board. [^9][^3]
- The Sentinel, a local outlet that often relies on unnamed sources, reports that the FBI is looking at airport land deals and donations from airport contractors. **None of that is confirmed by the FBI or by charges.**
- Endorsed for mayor (before switching races) by AFSCME, SEIU, and the Ontario police and fire associations.

Jonathan Hagman, Supervisor Curt Hagman's son, filed here but withdrew on Aug 4 after the FBI searches. [^9]

### D'Andre Lampkin
- Content creator and writer; first run for office. Says District 3 has never had its own representative. [^10]

## Council District 2
No incumbent lives in this district. Candidate list from the SB County Sentinel at the close of filing (Aug 7, 2026); check your sample ballot. [^3]

### Ruben Valencia
- Former Ontario councilman. [^3]

### Stephanie Martinez
- I found no independent reporting on this candidate.

## Sources
[^1]: County Counsel, Measure H impartial analysis. https://uploads.rov.sbcounty.gov/ROV/Elections/2026/1103/Measures/CityofOntario/IA_Ontario.pdf
[^2]: Bond Buyer, Ontario's 2022 sales tax plan (Aug 5, 2022). https://bondbuyer.com/news/california-city-plans-sales-tax-measure-to-pay-for-infrastructure-essential-services
[^3]: SB County Sentinel, mayoral and council match-ups (Aug 7, 2026). https://sbcsentinel.com/2026/08/more-clarity-on-november-mayoral-and-city-council-match-ups/
[^4]: KVCR, FBI search fallout (Aug 11, 2026). https://www.kvcrnews.org/local-news/2026-08-11/fbi-search-fallout-in-san-bernardino-county-shakes-up-ontario-elections
[^5]: Measure H argument in favor. https://uploads.rov.sbcounty.gov/ROV/Elections/2026/1103/Measures/CityofOntario/AIF_Ontario.pdf
[^6]: SB County Sentinel, Ontario seeks another sales tax increase (Aug 2026). https://sbcsentinel.com/2026/08/ontario-despite-being-flush-with-cash-getting-residents-to-hike-sales-tax-in-2022-is-seeking-another-sales-tax-increase/
[^7]: Wikipedia, ONT Field. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ONT_Field
[^8]: Measure H argument against. https://uploads.rov.sbcounty.gov/ROV/Elections/2026/1103/Measures/CityofOntario/AA_Ontario.pdf
[^9]: KVCR, Macias mayoral bid (Oct 26, 2026). https://kvcr.org/news/local/2026-10-26/ontarios-mayoral-election-council-newcomer-daisy-macias-eyes-mayors-seat
[^10]: Lampkin campaign. https://www.lampkinforontario.org/news/is-alan-wapner-district-3-incumbent-ontario-2026
[^11]: City of Ontario, Measure Q. https://www.ontarioca.gov/MeasureQ
[^12]: SB County Sentinel, Wapner switches races (Aug 2026). https://sbcsentinel.com/2026/08/dogged-by-the-fbi-wapner-makes-a-last-minute-political-switcheroo/
[^13]: SB County Sentinel, Wapner resigns posts (Aug 2026). https://sbcsentinel.com/2026/08/wapner-resigning-from-all-commission-board-adjunct-posts-effective-friday/
[^14]: SB County Sentinel, Macias's donors (Oct 2026). https://sbcsentinel.com/2026/10/what-they-do-they-smile-in-your-face/
[^15]: SB County Sentinel, graft probe (July 31, 2026). https://sbcsentinel.com/?p=37684
[^16]: City of Ontario, municipal elections. https://www.ontarioca.gov/government/management-services/city-clerk-records-management/municipal-elections