Santa Monica is a sketchy environment at best, as are many of the LA piers at night. I would head to a more northerly pier like Malibu or head down to OC and fish the piers there. As for fishing, there's been a decent, but sporadic mackerel bite. Right now the larger sharks are just starting to move in, with quite a few leos coming in, however there hasn't been any word on the thresher fishery. In OC, croaker fishing is beginning to pick up, specifically at Huntington. I haven't been out in a while, so this may or may not be reflective of conditions there. Half day boats are catching lots of smaller grade rockfish and whitefish, but not a lot of sculpin. If the shore fishery from Catalina is anything indicative of conditions there, boats there will likely be catching a lot of sheephead and whitefish.