Sausalito City Manager Elaine Forbes was arrested on Saturday morning on suspicion of felony burglary after police found her aboard a yacht that authorities say she did not own. The arrest occurred less than three weeks after Forbes, 53, officially began her tenure as the city's top administrator.
Forbes was taken into custody after the Marin County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call regarding a burglary around 6:50 a.m. According to Lt. Domenick Yazzolino, when officers approached Forbes on the vessel, she insisted it was ‘her boat’ and stated she was having a ‘bad morning.’ The yacht was later confirmed not to be her property.
Forbes was booked into the Marin County Jail and remained in custody on $50,000 bail as of Sunday evening, according to jail records. She was previously the executive director at the Port of San Francisco for nine years.
City officials confirmed Forbes' arrest in a Sunday press release, calling it a ‘difficult development for our City staff and our community.’ They stated that due to the ongoing investigation by the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, the city would not comment on the specific allegations. Questions regarding the arrest have been directed to the sheriff's office.
Forbes was placed on administrative leave from her position days prior to her arrest following a closed-session city council meeting on Thursday. The reason for her leave remains unclear. Brandon Phipps has been appointed acting city manager in Forbes' absence.
Forbes was appointed Sausalito's city manager in May and began the role on July 1, earning an annual salary of $275,000. In a letter following her appointment, she expressed enthusiasm for the position, describing Sausalito as a ‘natural evolution of my career’ and ‘in many ways, a homecoming.’
During her nearly decade-long tenure as executive director of the Port of San Francisco, Forbes oversaw a staff of approximately 270 and directed initiatives including seawall reinforcement and sea-level rise planning along the Embarcadero.
