Description: Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) are a type of assessment district in which business owners choose to be assessed a fee, which is collected on their behalf by the City, for use in promoting and improving the business area. In California, BIDs date back to 1965 with the approval of Assembly Bill 103 - the "Parking and Business Improvement Area Law." Today there are approximately 200 BIDs in the state.
Description: A Maintenance Assessment District (MAD) is legal mechanism by which property owners can vote to assess themselves to pay and receive services above-and-beyond what the City normally provides. This above-and-beyond service level is called as "special benefit." What the City normally provides is called the "general benefit." In the past, MADs were also known as Landscape Maintenance Districts (LMDs) or Lighting and Landscape Maintenance Districts (LLMDs). Because many districts include more than landscaping and lighting, the name was changed to better represent the nature of the districts.