Mayor Paul Leon was first appointed to the Ontario City Council in 1999. He was later elected to the City Council in 2000 and re-elected in 2004. He served as Mayor pro Tem from December 2002 until January 2005. Paul was elected to Mayor in a special election in June 2005 and re-elected to a four year term in November 2006. In addition to his Mayoral duties, Mayor Leon also serves as Senior Pastor of Hope Chapel Foursquare Church.
Over the years Mayor Leon has represented Ontario on regional boards with Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG), and Omnitrans, and has served as the City Council liaison to the Los Angeles World Airports Board of Airport Commissioners. A native of Southern California, Paul is a graduate of Nordhoff High School in Ojai, the U. S. Army Security Agency Training Center & School at Ft. Devens, Massachusetts, and attended the Cleveland Institute of Electronics. Since completing military service in 1977, Paul has been a resident of Ontario. His professional life included: 3½ years in the U.S. Army, five years on the staff of Bilingual Family Counseling Service, Inc.; Outreach Coordinator for the Focus West county wide collaboration; Accounts Manager for Direct Trucking, Direct Home Delivery, Competitive Home Delivery; Owner of PSL Delivery Service. Dedicated to the betterment of youth in his home region,
Paul has contributed thousands of volunteer hours to area organizations including the Ontario Salvation Army, San Bernardino Communities Against Drugs, San Bernardino County Gangs and Drugs Task Force, Ontario Gangs and Drugs Task Force, Chaffey Joint Union High School District C.A.T. Council, Family Solutions Collaborative, Vernon Middle School, and the West Valley Family Violence Council. He also served as the coordinator for the highly successful Christian Okoye/Focus West Youth Football Camps, the Annual Focus West Positive Alternatives Youth Formal, and Red Ribbon Week Elementary School Assemblies. In 1998, Paul received the Montclair/Inland Valley Soroptimist President’s Award, in 1999 the Positive Choices for Youth “Exemplar” Award, the Chaffey Joint Union High School District Community Service Award and in 2006 was selected by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce Latino Business Council as the Community Leader of the Year.