Manager of posh town, 53, suffers mental health spiral that saw her burgle YACHT days after meeting to discuss her performance in $275,000 job, cops and locals say

By NATASHA ANDERSON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 13:40, 20 July 2026 | Updated: 13:53, 20 July 2026 The city manager of a ritzy California town has been arrested after she allegedly burgled a yacht amid a mental health crisis. Elaine Forbes, 53, was taken into custody at the Sausalito Yacht Harbor early Saturday morning after police found her inside a yacht that did not belong to her, officials told the Marin Independent Journal. Marin County sheriff's deputies found her on the vessel, which she claimed belonged to her, just before 7am. Forbes told officers she was having a 'bad morning' and ordered them to get off her boat. She has been booked into the Marin County Jail on suspicion of burglary charges, the county public booking log showed. Bail is set at $50,000. Her arrest comes just two days after city council met to discuss her performance as Sausalito city manager and subsequently placed her on administrative leave. Forbes was appointed to the role in May, but only assumed the position three weeks ago. Her starting salary was $275,000, according to public records. The 53-year-old was 'experiencing a mental health crisis' at the time of her arrest, a family spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times. Elaine Forbes, 53, was arrested on suspicion of burglary charges early Saturday morning Police took her into custody at the Sausalito Yacht Harbor marina after she was found inside a yacht at that did not belong to her 'We ask that no one rush to judgment based on limited information,' her family said in a statement issued through their spokesman Sam Singer.  'As the facts become clearer and Elaine obtains legal and healthcare counsel in the coming hours and days, we hope people will respond with compassion, patience and respect for her and her family during an extraordinarily difficult time.' Sausalito city officials said that Forbes' arrest has been 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,' the city said in a statement reviewed by the Daily Mail. City Council appointed Brandon Phipps to serve as Acting City Manager and will discuss next steps at the upcoming council meeting. As of Monday morning, Forbes remained behind bars, according to the Marin County Public Booking Log. The log lists her as a current San Francisco resident, but she sold her $2.3 million house in the Golden City in April, county assessor records showed. She is understood to have then moved to a houseboat in Sausalito. Forbes' arrest comes just two days after city council met to discuss her performance as Sausalito city manager and subsequently placed her on administrative leave. She was appointed to the role in May, but only assumed the position three weeks ago Forbes became Sausalito's city manager in May after announcing last September that she was stepping down as executive director of the Port of San Francisco. She served in the role for nine years. She oversaw a 270-person staff and managed several major waterfront initiatives, including upgrading the seawall along San Francisco's Embarcadero. She was also a key figure in the proposal for redeveloping Fisherman's Wharf. In May, after being appointed to the role, Forbes issued a statement saying: 'I am honored to be coming home to Marin. 'I am excited to get to work supporting the city's long-term fiscal sustainability, preparing for sea level rise, and building a strong organization that delivers exceptional service.'