Elaine Forbes

Introduction

Elaine Forbes is a veteran Bay Area public administrator whose brief tenure as city manager of Sausalito collapsed within weeks of its start. Forbes, 53, was appointed unanimously by the Sausalito City Council in May 2026 and began the $275,000-a-year job on July 1, 2026. Less than three weeks later, before dawn on Saturday, July 18, 2026, Marin County sheriff’s deputies responding to a noise complaint found her aboard a yacht at the Sausalito Yacht Harbor that authorities said she was not authorized to board. She was booked on suspicion of felony burglary and later charged with misdemeanors by Marin County prosecutors. On September 1, 2026, Mayor Steven Woodside announced that the City Council had unanimously accepted her resignation and that she was no longer employed by the city. Her family and city officials described the episode as a mental health crisis.

Background Information

Forbes spent nine years as executive director of the Port of San Francisco. She became port director in 2016 after serving as interim director and was, at the time, one of the few women in the country leading a major US port. During her tenure she oversaw a staff of about 270 and managed major waterfront initiatives, including seawall reinforcement and planning efforts related to sea-level rise along the Embarcadero.

Before leading the Port, Forbes served as its chief financial officer and deputy director for finance and administration. She previously held public-sector roles in San Francisco and Oakland, including serving as finance director for the San Francisco Planning Department, and worked in nonprofit land-use and economic-development organizations.

She announced in September 2025 that she would step down, telling the port commission: “I’m tired, I want a job with fewer than 280 employees, I don’t want to run a port city anymore, but I sure did these last nine years”

The Sausalito City Council voted unanimously in May 2026 to hire her as city manager. At the time, Mayor Steven Woodside called her “a strong executive” whom the community needed, and Forbes told the council: “I’m incredibly honored to join this community” . She officially started on July 1, 2026, with a base salary of $275,000.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Allegations. The conduct described below led to criminal charges that remain allegations. Forbes has not been tried, and this page presumes her innocence. Her family and attorney attribute the incident to a mental health crisis, which is presented here with care and only as reported.

She had been reported missing days earlier, and the council had placed her on administrative leave the Thursday before without publicly disclosed reasons. On Saturday, July 18, 2026, sheriff’s deputies responded to a noise complaint at the Sausalito Yacht Harbor around 6 a.m. and located Forbes aboard the Lisa Marie, a docked yacht, among empty alcohol bottles and strewn clothing items. According to investigators, she also entered the Sea Dog, a boat owned by Rand Siegfried, and was accused of breaking into at least three boats at the harbor. Sheriff’s office spokesperson Lt. Domenick Yazzolino said Forbes had manipulated the boat’s controls “as if she was attempting to steal the vessel”

According to the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, Forbes initially told deputies the yacht belonged to her; investigators later contacted the owner, who said she was not authorized to be aboard. She told officials she was having “a bad morning” and told them to get off her boat. She was booked into the Marin County Jail on suspicion of felony burglary, with bail set at $50,000.

On the Monday after the arrest, Marin County prosecutors charged Forbes with misdemeanors: prowling, unauthorized lodging and petty theft. KTVU, citing the District Attorney’s Office, reported four misdemeanor counts, including disorderly conduct and theft of personal property.

The boat owners described the aftermath. Andy Cunningham, whose yacht was among those targeted, said there was “Unbelievable chaos and havoc on my boat”, adding that “She took all of my clothes and she apparently tried them” . Siegfried said: “I hope she seeks out help to get better, but I also hope she is responsible for what she has done”

Public Reaction and Consequences

The city called the arrest “a difficult development for our City staff and our community” and declined further comment while the investigation was active. At a closed-session meeting on the Tuesday after the arrest, the council took no action on her employment, saying she remained on a leave of absence and that “No decisions were made regarding her employment”

Her family framed the episode around her health. Family spokesperson Sam Singer said “She was having a genuine mental health breakdown and crisis” , and asked that “people will respond with compassion, patience and respect for her and her family during an extraordinarily difficult time” . Her attorney, Randall Knox, said “This is a blip”, noted Forbes “is grateful that the city of Sausalito has been so supportive”, and requested that her arraignment be delayed while seeking a possible bail reduction.

Current Status

Forbes is no longer Sausalito’s city manager. On Tuesday, September 1, 2026, Mayor Steven Woodside announced that she had resigned and that the council had unanimously accepted: “Elaine Forbes has resigned from her position as City Manager. We have accepted her resignation, and she is no longer employed by the City. Our hearts are with Elaine and her family, and we stand behind her as she takes this time to focus on her health and healing” . The council unanimously appointed Brandon Phipps, with the city since 2022, as interim city manager for the next six months, with a recruitment anticipated.

No adjudicated outcome in the misdemeanor case appears in the available reporting; the last court activity described was the delayed arraignment her attorney requested in late July.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The resignation ended Forbes’ run as Sausalito’s top administrator roughly two months after it began, closing a chapter on a career that included nine years leading one of the nation’s major ports. A spokesperson for Forbes said she “has devoted much of her life to public service and is widely respected by the many people who have worked with her over the years” . Both her family and city officials pointed to her health as the immediate focus, and the mayor thanked residents for the compassion shown to Forbes and her family. For Sausalito, the departure left interim leadership in place while the city prepares a search for its next permanent city manager.