– Marianne and Andrew Hanouneh (siblings) own Treasure Banquet Hall in Ontario, California
– The venue is located at 317 N Euclid Ave, Ontario
– Their building permits expired, and they were told to cease operations
– They submitted new plans as required but the city never approved them
– The city cut power to the building, leaving it unable to operate for nearly 1.5 years
– Marianne Hanouneh claims Councilmember Alan Wapner told her he’s been telling the city to “shut you down for months”
– She also claims he said “I hold the power in this city”
– The meeting occurred Tuesday night (August 5, based on the “15 hours ago” timestamp and today being August 6)
– Mayor Paul Leon called for Wapner to be removed from committees
– The FBI recently served search warrants at locations including Wapner’s home (though no connection to Treasure Banquet Hall is established)
– The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office and FBI contacted them earlier in 2026
A Southern California family business says a city councilmember told them he’d been ordering their closure for months.
Marianne and Andrew Hanouneh, siblings who run Treasure Banquet Hall in Ontario, told the Ontario City Council Tuesday night that their downtown event venue has been unable to operate for nearly a year and a half after the city cut power to the building amid a dispute over permits.
According to the Hanounehs, problems began when their building permits expired, and the city told them to cease operations unless they met certain requirements, including submitting new plans—requirements they claim to have complied with, but the city has never approved the plans.
“We built something we were very proud of, and we were so proud to give back to this community,” Marianne Hanouneh said.
The siblings claimed they made repeated attempts to move forward with city officials.
“I showed him photos of our building, hoping he might understand what our family had created. As soon as I named the building, he said, and I quote, ‘I know your building. I know exactly where that is. No need to show photos. I’ve been telling them to shut you down for months,'” Marianne Hanouneh said.
She accused the councilmember of wielding his office as a cudgel.
“When I asked him to meet with another official, he said, ‘No, no, it doesn’t matter. I hold the power in this city,'” she said.
The Hanounehs said they spent months attempting to resolve the issue with the city but have been unable to move forward while the building remains without power.
The remarks targeted Councilmember Alan Wapner.
“During Tuesday night’s city council meeting, Mayor Paul Leon called for Wapner to be removed from the committees on which he serves.”
“He’s become a distraction, and that is not saying he’s guilty of anything,” said Leon. “But the distraction of the current activity is real.”
The distraction Leon referenced involves federal law enforcement.
The FBI recently served search warrants at several locations in Southern California, including Wapner’s home, though there is no evidence of any connection between those searches and the situation involving Treasure Banquet Hall, and the FBI has not commented because the search warrants are sealed.
The Hanounehs also said they were contacted earlier this year by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office and later by the FBI.
In the viral moment that played out Tuesday night at the Ontario City Council chambers,
the owners told the council their downtown event venue has been unable to operate for nearly a year and a half after the city cut power to the building
following their building permit expiration.
The Hanounehs alleged that the city told them to cease operations unless they met certain requirements, including submitting new plans, which they claim to have complied with, but the city never approved the plans, leading to the closure of the business.
They also said they were contacted earlier this year by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office and later by the FBI.
Ontario City Council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.