Industrial Park Site Considered for Bus Headquarters : Antelope Valley: The county is looking at land partly developed by a controversial councilman.

Los Angeles County officials are proposing to establish a headquarters for a new Antelope Valley public bus system in a Lancaster industrial park developed in part by Bill Pursley, a controversial Lancaster councilman.

Under the plan, a lot owned by the councilman’s nephew in the Antelope Valley Industrial Park is the county’s top choice to lease--potentially for three years--for a bus yard. A nearby site owned by Pursley could be considered as an alternative, county officials said.

Pursley said--and county officials agreed--that they had first approached him about using the area. Dismissing any notion of favoritism, county officials said they hope the region’s buses can share an adjoining maintenance facility already run there by local school districts.

But the councilman, a former real estate broker, acknowledged that his role in the process could prove a politically sensitive one. “I’m going to be very careful about this,” promised Pursley, who met several weeks ago at City Hall with the county official in charge of the bus program.

The councilman’s three-year term has been marred by continuing investigations into episodes involving potential conflicts of interest and Pursley’s admitted failure to fully disclose his financial interests. Pursley recently announced that he will not seek reelection in April.

Officials with the county Department of Public Works, in a joint venture with Lancaster and Palmdale, want to establish the bus facility to serve as a base for a company to run the region’s local bus routes, its commuter service to Los Angeles and its dial-a-ride system. They hope to hire the company this spring.

Under state law, the county and cities could legally lease property from either Pursley or his nephew, Lancaster developer Dennis Pursley. The councilman, however, in his official capacity cannot participate in that process if he has a financial interest in the outcome.

A soon-to-be-formed panel with one member each from the county and the two cities--probably council members--is expected to decide on any leases.

County officials looked at three other sites in Lancaster, but they liked Dennis Pursley’s paved lot at 6th Street West and Avenue L-14 because they hope to strike a deal for adjoining office space owned by another party. The county also hopes to use the school bus maintenance facility operated next door by the Antelope Valley Schools Transportation Agency.

While negotiating over the site with the county’s representative last month, the councilman said he co-owned the property with his nephew. But when asked by a reporter why he had never disclosed the ownership on conflict of interest forms filed with the city, Pursley said only his nephew owned the site.

The councilman said he had been confused in thinking he owned the property. Instead, Pursley said, he and his nephew eventually hope to jointly develop a building there. The councilman said he would leave any further negotiations to his nephew.

The councilman does own a 2 1/2-acre vacant parcel on the school bus yard’s east border, a parcel the county might consider if it cannot reach agreement with his nephew. The councilman acquired the land in the late 1980s when he cashed out his 20% investment in the 70-acre industrial park.

County’s Planned Transit Facility

1: Headquarters of Antelope Valley Schools Transportation Agency. County officials want their transit buses to share the use of its maintenance bays.

2: Dirt lot owned by Lancaster Councilman William Pursley. County officials consider it an alternative site to lease for their planned bus storage yard.

3: Office buildings owned by another party. County officials want to lease one of several there for their transit operation’s office space.

4A-B: Lot owned by developer Dennis Pursley, the councilman’s nephew. The paved A portion is county officials’ top pick to lease as a bus storage yard.