Updated

Updated · The San Francisco Standard · Jul 20

Former SF Port Director Elaine Forbes Arrested on 75-Foot Yacht, Faces $50,000 Bail

Updated

Updated · The San Francisco Standard · Jul 20

Former SF Port Director Elaine Forbes Arrested on 75-Foot Yacht, Faces $50,000 Bail

Q: Why was Sausalito's new city manager placed on leave just days before her arrest?

Sausalito has not publicly said why Elaine Forbes was placed on leave, so the exact reason remains undisclosed. What is known is that the City Council voted in closed session on July 16 to put Forbes on administrative leave after discussing her employee performance. At the time, the city gave no specific explanation and said it would not discuss the personnel matter further because of privacy rights and employment laws. The leave came two days before Forbes was arrested on suspicion of burglary at the Sausalito Yacht Harbor. Additional reporting indicates deputies had been looking for her for several days after a missing-person report, and a statement issued on behalf of Forbes and her family said she was experiencing a mental health crisis. Those facts suggest the leave may have been connected to concerns about her condition or conduct before the arrest, but city officials have not confirmed that. Based on the public record, the only verified explanation is that the council acted after a closed-session review of her performance and chose not to disclose more.

3 articles · Updated · The San Francisco Standard · Jul 20

Marin deputies arrested Elaine Forbes, 53, early Saturday after a noise complaint led them to a 75-foot yacht where they found her aboard without the owner's permission.
Bill Aubrey, the nearby captain who responded to a blaring horn around 5:30 a.m., said Forbes had locked herself in the wheelhouse; deputies said she first claimed the boat was hers.
Booking logs showed Forbes remained in custody Sunday with bail set at $50,000. The yacht's captain said nothing appeared damaged, though two liquor bottles that had been full the night before were empty.
The arrest came two days after Sausalito placed its new city manager on leave through Sept. 8, with Assistant City Manager Brandon Phipps taking over; the City Council is due to address the matter Tuesday.
Forbes had started the $275,000-a-year Sausalito job on July 1 after nine years leading the Port of San Francisco, while a family spokesperson said she is experiencing a mental health crisis.