Elaine Forbes had barely settled into her new role as Sausalito’s city manager when she found herself under arrest on suspicion of felony burglary, aboard a yacht she allegedly had no right to enter.
Forbes, 53, was appointed to the top administrative job by the Sausalito City Council in May and officially started on July 1. The arrest came fewer than three weeks later, on the morning of July 18th, at the Sausalito Yacht Harbor.
According to a report, Marin County Sheriff’s Lt. Domenick Yazzolino said deputies responded to a noise disturbance at the harbor just after 6 a.m. and found Forbes inside a large yacht she neither owned nor had permission to board. He said she had allegedly manipulated the boat’s controls while attempting to take it, and had either consumed or discarded alcohol found onboard.
Forbes was taken into custody at 6:50 a.m. and booked on suspicion of felony burglary, with bail initially set at $50,000. The City of Sausalito confirmed she was already on a leave of absence at the time of her arrest. Two days before the incident, the city council had met behind closed doors and quietly approved that leave without publicly explaining why.
A nearby yacht captain offered a vivid firsthand account. Bill Aubrey told The San Francisco Standard that he heard a horn blaring before dawn, found Forbes locked inside the wheelhouse, and boarded the vessel to confront her. Her response, he said, was a calm “Good morning.” Aubrey noted that two liquor bottles that had been full the night before were empty by morning, though nothing appeared physically damaged.
When officers arrived, Forbes reportedly told them she was having a “bad morning” and ordered them off what she claimed was her boat. Authorities then contacted the actual owner, who confirmed she had no permission to be on the vessel.
Forbes’ family later released a statement saying she was experiencing a “mental health crisis” and asked the public not to rush to judgment. Family spokesman Sam Singer requested that people respond with “compassion, patience and respect.” The statement did not address the specific allegation that Forbes had entered the yacht without authorization.
Before joining Sausalito, Forbes spent nearly a decade at the Port of San Francisco, serving as its director from 2016 through 2025 after earlier work as its chief financial officer. Her city manager salary was set at $275,000 per year. When her appointment was announced, Mayor Steven Woodside called her a “strong executive,” and Vice Mayor Melissa Blaustein praised her “caliber, experience, connections, network, and also kind personality and demeanor.”
No publicly available charging document confirmed that prosecutors had formally filed the case as of Tuesday morning, and Forbes has not been convicted of any crime. Acting City Manager Brandon Phipps stepped in to handle city operations during her leave.
The city council was expected to discuss Forbes’ future at its Tuesday meeting, with officials saying they would address “next steps” while assuring residents that city business continues “without interruption.