California city official arrested for burglary charges while on yacht less than three weeks after starting the job

By EMMA RICHTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 01:51, 20 July 2026 | Updated: 01:51, 20 July 2026 A top California city official was arrested for allegedly stealing someone else's boat less than three weeks after starting her new job.  Elaine Forbes, who was just appointed the manager of Sausalito, was arrested on Saturday morning on suspicion of felony burglary after police said they found her aboard a yacht that does not belong to her, the Marin Independent Journal reported.  Forbes, 53, spent the night in Marin County Jail after authorities received a call around 6.50am regarding a burglary, Lt. Domenick Yazzolino of the Marin County Sheriff’s Office told the outlet.  When approached by officers, Forbes demanded they get off 'her boat' while insisting that she was having a 'bad morning,' Yazzolina said, per the outlet.  The vessel was later found not to belong to her, according to the report.  Forbes, who previously worked as the executive director at the Port of San Francisco for nine years, was booked into the Marin County Jail.  She remains in custody on a $50,000 bail as of Sunday evening, according to jail records reviewed by the Daily Mail.  Before her arrest, Forbes purchased a boat home just outside of Sausalito, the publication said.  Elaine Forbes, who was just appointed the manager of Sausalito, California, was arrested on Saturday morning after she allegedly stole someone else's yacht She was also placed on administrative leave from her new job just days before being taken into custody. It remains unclear why she was placed on leave, but the decision was made during a closed session city council meeting on Thursday, Sausalito City Hall said.  Local officials acknowledged her arrest in a press release on Sunday, stating it was a 'difficult development for our City staff and our community.'  '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,' they said, adding that all questions about her arrest should be directed to the Marin County Sheriff's Office.  In her absence, Brandon Phipps has been named the acting city manager. The city council is expected to discuss its 'next steps' at its next meeting, the release said.  Forbes was appointed city manager in May and officially assumed the role on July 1. She makes $275,000 a year, the outlet stated.  When she was appointed, Forbes wrote in a letter that she felt 'prepared and deeply called to serve' in the role. 'Sausalito represents a natural evolution of my career and, in many ways, a homecoming,' she added.  When approached by officers, Forbes demanded they get off 'her boat' while insisting that she was having a 'bad morning,' Lt. Domenick Yazzolino of the Marin County Sheriff’s Office said She became port director in 2016, and was one of the few women in the country leading a major US port at the time, the New York Post reported.  While in that role, Forbes oversaw a staff of about 270.  She also directed initiatives, including seawall reinforcement and planning efforts related to the sea-level rise along the Embarcadero - a famous waterfront and roadway in the Bay Area.  The Daily Mail contacted Forbes, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, and Sausalito City Hall for comment.