Sausalito city manager faces 4 charges over yacht incident

Sausalito City Manager Elaine Forbes is facing four misdemeanor charges in Marin County, where she was arrested early Saturday after deputies found her on a yacht that did not belong to her, officials said. 

Prosecutors on Tuesday charged Forbes, a longtime former San Francisco port director, with loitering on a private property, theft of personal property and two counts of lodging without an owner's consent, according to Marin County court records.

Forbes was less than a month into her new role as Sausalito city manager, when the City Council placed her on leave. City officials did not specify the reason for the leave, which happened two days before her arrest.

During a Sausalito City Council meeting Tuesday evening, Mayor Steven Woodside said Forbes remained on leave and that no further decisions had been made regarding her employment.  

"We are gathering and evaluating all of the facts surrounding this matter," Woodside said. "This moment calls for a sensitive balance between individual privacy rights and the rights the public have for accountability. It's not easy, but we'll get through this."  

• Read more: Sausalito city manager, ex-S.F. port chief was reported missing hours before her arrest on a yacht

Forbes, 53, made a brief court appearance Tuesday afternoon, smiling as she walked into the wood-paneled courtroom in handcuffs and a striped orange jumpsuit. The court pushed Forbes' arraignment to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the request of her attorney, Randall Knox.  

Reached by phone shortly after the hearing, Knox said he did not know the details surrounding the circumstances of the arrest, but noted his client has had a "distinguished career." 

"This is a blip," Knox said. "She's grateful for the support and understanding the city of Sausalito has shown her, she's got a great network of friends and family. She's looking forward to getting back to work."

Forbes was arrested at 6:50 a.m. Saturday by Marin County sheriff's deputies responding to a noise complaint at the Sausalito Yacht Harbor, according to jail records.

Deputies found Forbes inside a 66-foot, three-story yacht that she did not own, manipulating the controls "as if she was attempting to steal the vessel," according to the sheriff's office. They also allegedly found empty alcohol bottles on the boat. 

Jail records showed Forbes was being held on $50,000 bail. She remained in custody as of Tuesday afternoon. 

Before the arrest, Forbes was reported missing Friday morning after leaving her San Francisco home the day before in a "disoriented state," said Sam Singer, a spokesperson for the family. 

He said Forbes' phone and wallet were found outside an addiction recovery center in Sausalito, causing alarm among her family members, who filed a missing persons report. 

Singer said Forbes owns a houseboat in Sausalito and was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of the arrest. 

The city manager "may have believed that she was indeed on her boat when she was found," he said. 

Knox declined to comment on Forbes' mental health. 

The Sausalito city manager is the administrative head of the government, implementing municipal policy, enforcing the city's laws and ordinances and supervising day-to-day operations of all city departments and staff. 

Forbes had previously served as the San Francisco port director for nearly a decade, leading 270 staff members and overseeing post-pandemic efforts to revive the waterfront and address vulnerability to sea level rise. 

In Sausalito, Brandon Phipps stepped into the role of acting city manager this week, according to city officials. Woodside said Tuesday that former City Manager Chris Zapata had agreed "to come back on a temporary advisory role as soon as possible," pending negotiations with the Marin County Executive's Office, where he currently serves as assistant county executive.  

"This is a difficult development for our City staff and our community," Sausalito officials said in a Sunday statement. "Because this is now an active and ongoing investigation by the Marin County Sheriff's Office, the City will not comment on the specific allegations." 

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