(a) The Legislature finds and declares that businesses located and operating within the business districts of this state’s communities are economically disadvantaged, are underutilized, and are unable to attract customers due to inadequate facilities, services, and activities in the business districts.

(b) The Legislature also finds and declares that it is in the public interest to promote the economic revitalization and physical maintenance of the business districts of its cities in order to create jobs, attract new businesses, and prevent erosion of the business districts.

(c) The Legislature also finds that it is of particular local benefit to allow cities to fund property related improvements and activities through the levy of assessments upon the businesses which benefit from those improvements and activities.

(d) The Legislature also finds and declares that tourism is a large and growing contributor to California’s economy, and that promotion of a city’s or county’s scenic, recreational, cultural, and other attractions as a tourist destination is an important public purpose.

(e) The Legislature also finds and declares that assessments levied for the purpose of providing improvements and promoting activities which benefit individual businesses may also benefit the property within the area directly or indirectly and that those assessments are not taxes for the general benefit of a city, but are assessments for the improvements and activities which confer special benefits upon the businesses for which the improvements and activities are provided.

(Amended by Stats. 1991, Ch. 1110, Sec. 40.)