The Boardwalk is....strange, to say the least. I was out there one night with my girl and saw some dude roaming the arcade in a county jumpsuit and the god damn jail slippers. lol. We walked back through the arcade on our way out, and there were a few cops and the dude in the jumpsuit had split.
But yea, the ese's are definitely out there in force. I usually hit Capitola or Natural Bridges when I go up there...just to stay away from all the bullshit.