Former longtime Port of SF Director Elaine Forbes, who became Sausalito's city manager three weeks ago, was arrested following an apparent mental health crisis onboard a yacht days after taking a leave of absence then being reported missing.
Marin County Sheriff's deputies responded to a noise complaint at the Sausalito Yacht Harbor shortly after 6 am Saturday, where they found Elaine Forbes aboard a 66-foot, three-story yacht that authorities say she did not own, as the Chronicle reported Sunday. Officials allege there were empty alcohol containers on the vessel and said she was manipulating the controls as though she was attempting to take it.
According to KQED, Sheriff's Lieutenant Domenick Yazzolino said Forbes told deputies she was having “a bad morning” before insisting they get off “her boat.” She was arrested on suspicion of felony burglary and booked into the Marin County Jail with $50,000 bail.
According to an update from the Chronicle, Forbes had been reported missing Friday morning, a day after the Sausalito City Council approved a leave of absence during a closed-session meeting.
Forbes, who became Sausalito's city manager at the beginning of the month, was reportedly last seen Thursday in San Francisco after leaving her home to meet a friend, and both San Francisco and Sausalito police had unsuccessfully tried to locate her.
In a statement released through spokesperson Sam Singer, Forbes and her family said she was “experiencing a mental health crisis” and urged the public not to “rush to judgment based on limited information.”
“As the facts become clearer and Elaine obtains legal and healthcare counsel in the coming hours and days,” said Sam Singer, spokesperson for Forbes’ family, “we hope people will respond with compassion, patience and respect for her and her family during an extraordinarily difficult time.”
The city of Sausalito declined to discuss the circumstances but acknowledged the situation had been difficult for staff and the community. KQED reports that Assistant City Manager Brandon Phipps has since been appointed acting city manager.
Forbes spent nearly 25 years at the Port of San Francisco, including 15 years as deputy director for finance and administration before then-Mayor Ed Lee appointed her executive director in 2016. During her nine years as executive director, Forbes oversaw major waterfront projects focused on climate resilience, post-pandemic recovery, and sea level rise.
When announcing her departure from the port last year, Forbes noted that the port was on solid footing with a steady stream of projects underway, as the Chronicle reported at the time.
“We have broken records, restored visitor activity to pre-pandemic levels, created a safe, clean and thriving waterfront, and set the stage for the next generation of growth,” Forbes said. “Now it’s time for me to consider what’s next.”
Forbes also said she was looking forward to serving a role with a smaller scope. “I’m tired, I want a job with fewer than 280 employees,” she said, per the Chronicle. “I don’t want to run a port city anymore, but I sure did these last nine years.”
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Image: Port of San Francisco/Facebook
