‘92 Election Winner Finally Decided : Supervisors: Court nullifies challenger’s victory over slow-growth incumbent in Santa Barbara County race.

SAN FRANCISCO — A bizarre dispute over a Santa Barbara County supervisor’s election reached a quiet climax here Thursday--20 months after votes were cast.

The upshot: Supervisor Willy Chamberlin is officially out. His opponent, former Supervisor Bill Wallace, is in.

It all began with the election of November, 1992, a high-stakes battle between Chamberlin--a conservative rancher and oilman--and Wallace, an environmentalist and the longtime incumbent in the seat. More than $1 million was spent on the race, which was viewed as a pivotal fight between proponents of slow growth and forces more friendly to development.

First, Chamberlin was declared the winner by seven votes. Wallace paid for a recount--which narrowed Chamberlin’s winning margin to five votes--and then appealed to a Superior Court judge, who further cut the margin to two votes.

Undeterred, Wallace pressed on, and finally found victory at the 3rd District Court of Appeal. In a 62-page decision in April, the justices declared Wallace the winner--by 12 votes.

By now, however, Chamberlin had grown comfortable in his supervisor’s seat, and he appealed to the California Supreme Court. On Thursday, he lost. In a two-sentence order, the state’s high court declined to hear the appeal.