Southern Calif. suburb wants to measure residents’ well-being, seeks $5 million grant

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Once referred to as the “people’s republic of Santa Monica” because of its socially conscious government, the Los Angeles coastal suburb now wants to find out whether its citizens are feeling groovy.

The Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/TZMI49) says Santa Monica officials are seeking a grant to create the nation’s first municipal well-being index.

City officials and Rand Corp. researchers propose tracking the physical health, social connectedness and community resilience of residents.

Santa Monica made the proposal in hopes of winning a $5 million Bloomberg Philanthropies grant. It’s one of 20 Mayors Challenge finalists named last week.

The city has already completed a youth well-being study that found most students were healthy and felt safe at school.

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