Marin County Sheriff’s deputies arrested newly sworn-in Sausalito City Manager Elaine Forbes just days ago on suspicion of felony burglary at the Sausalito Yacht Harbor. Cops responded to a noise complaint and allegedly found Forbes aboard a 75-foot yacht she did not own.
Forbes allegedly had boarded the yacht without permission, and sounded its horn loudly for an extended period starting around 5:30 a.m.
That woke up the neighbors — and woke up the city, which suddenly realized it had a major personnel problem.
The oddest part of the story is that Elaine Forbes is no shlub. She’s built a respected career spanning nonprofits and high-level public administration.
A native of San Francisco, with a master’s degree in urban planning, she progressed through roles at organizations like the Urban Strategies Council, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Budget Analyst’s Office, the Planning Department, and the San Francisco Airport before joining the Port of San Francisco in 2010, rising to the position of executive director in 2016.
At the SF Port, she oversaw roughly 270 staff and miles of city waterfront, advancing major initiatives on sea-level rise resilience and post-pandemic recovery.
Colleagues praised her vision — until the plot twist arrived.
Last September, Forbes announced that she was stepping down from the SF Port, citing the demanding nature of leading a complex public enterprise. Fair enough.
Fast-forward to May 2026. The city of Sausalito selected her as its next city manager, a $275,000 annual role, to start July 1.
Running Sausalito can’t be easy, but it’s a little more laid back. Forbes must have seemed like a good fit to everyone, including herself.
But on Saturday, July 18 — not even three weeks later — yacht captain Bill Aubrey found Forbes inside a boat’s wheelhouse after she had locked herself in.
And of course, as we now know, it was not her yacht.
He described her demeanor as “normal, friendly,” and not disheveled; she “wasn’t staggering,” though the previously full bottles of Grey Goose vodka and tequila were now empty.
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The sheriff’s deputies, who had been searching for Forbes for four days following a missing-persons report, noted that she had initially claimed the vessel was hers, and said she was having “a bad morning.” There was no apparent damage or theft.
Just days before her arrest, following a closed-session City Council meeting, Sausalito placed her on administrative leave through Sept. 8 and appointed an acting manager.
Why? We don’t know, and the city has kept its reasons under wraps, citing privacy interests.
But the timing — mere days before the yacht incident — raises questions about whether there had already been problems with Forbes’ performance or behavior during her short tenure.
Notably, Forbes’ long-term relationship with Angela Calvillo, clerk of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, ended in October 2024. Personal turmoil can lead to professional stress.
In a statement after Forbes’ arrest, a spokesperson for the family said, “Elaine is experiencing a mental health crisis. “We ask that no one rush to judgment based on limited information.”
Mental health challenges deserve compassion and should not automatically disqualify individuals from service, particularly when supported by appropriate treatment.
At the same time, when an official in a position of public trust faces criminal allegations tied to erratic behavior, we have to ask whether she was honest during the hiring process.
We also have to ask whether the elected leaders who hired Forbes did a thorough job of vetting her.
Forbes’ situation may not be unique. San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Jackie Fielder only just returned to work after taking time off for mental health reasons.
These are delicate situations. Even public officials are entitled to some personal privacy, but their needs have to be balanced against residents’ interest in capable leadership.
Richie Greenberg is a political commentator based in San Francisco.
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