Seal Beach voters will decide Tuesday on...

Seal Beach voters will decide Tuesday on a sweeping slow-growth measure. The controversial Spring initiative addresses an array of issues, from protecting as open space several parcels of land in the coastal town to requiring approval by the state Department of Forestry before urban forests of 10 or more trees are cut.

The measure is the result of a referendum drive launched in 1986 by residents who organized the Seal Beach Preservation Initiative Group. Spring has accused city officials of allowing developers to gobble up “every inch of open space” through variances to local zoning laws that are not granted to individual property owners.