California city manager locked herself on yacht in bizarre incident

In a peculiar incident early Saturday morning, a California city official allegedly barricaded herself inside a 75-foot yacht’s wheelhouse, repeatedly sounding its horn, before being arrested. Two bottles of alcohol were found empty on the vessel.

Elaine Forbes, 53, who became Sausalito’s city manager three weeks prior, was reportedly found aboard the yacht Lisa Marie around 5:30 a.m. after Captain Bill Aubrey noticed the horn blaring, according to The San Francisco Standard.

Forbes’ family has urged the public to withhold judgment, stating she is experiencing a “mental health crisis” as more information about the incident comes to light.

“Elaine Forbes has dedicated much of her career to public service and is highly regarded by her colleagues,” said spokesman Sam Singer on behalf of Forbes and her family. “We ask that no one make hasty judgments based on incomplete information. Elaine is undergoing a mental health crisis.”

“As the situation becomes clearer and Elaine receives legal and healthcare guidance in the coming days, we hope people will show compassion, patience, and respect for her and her family during this challenging time,” the statement added.

Aubrey, who was moored nearby, heard the yacht’s horn at the same time an emergency vehicle was passing through the area with its sirens on.

Recognizing the sound from the 75-foot vessel, Aubrey rushed over and found Forbes inside the wheelhouse, allegedly sounding the horn.

When he boarded the yacht and asked Forbes to leave, she greeted him with a friendly “Good morning!”

Aubrey described her demeanor as “normal, friendly” and noted that she didn’t appear disheveled. However, he later discovered that a large bottle of Grey Goose vodka and a bottle of tequila, both full the previous night, were empty.

Aubrey said he checked the yacht at around 9:15 p.m. the night before and found no apparent damage.

“She wasn’t staggering,” Aubrey said, “but the alcohol was gone.”

Marin County Sheriff’s spokesperson Lt. Domenick Yazzolino told The Standard that Forbes allegedly chose “a random boat” to enter.

Forbes initially claimed ownership of the vessel to deputies, but investigators later confirmed with the actual owner that she did not have permission to be aboard.

She allegedly told authorities she was having “a bad morning” and insisted they leave her supposed boat.

Aubrey also reported that deputies informed him they had been searching for Forbes for four days following a missing-person report.

Forbes was detained at Marin County Jail on suspicion of felony burglary, with bail set at $50,000. Booking records indicated she remained in custody late Sunday afternoon.

The arrest occurred less than three weeks after Forbes began her $275,000-a-year role as city manager of the affluent Bay Area community on July 1.

Just two days earlier, the Sausalito City Council placed her on administrative leave following a closed-session meeting.

Officials have not publicly disclosed the reasons for Forbes’ administrative leave.

The City of Sausalito described Forbes’ arrest as “a difficult development for our City staff and our community” and stated that no further comments would be made while the investigation is ongoing.

Forbes was appointed as Sausalito’s city manager in May, after announcing last September that she would resign as executive director of the Port of San Francisco, a position she held for nine years.

She became the Port director in 2016 after serving as interim director, and was one of the few women leading a major US port at the time.

In her role, Forbes managed a staff of approximately 270 and oversaw significant waterfront initiatives, including seawall reinforcement and planning for sea-level rise along the Embarcadero.

In her final year at the Port, she was the public face of the Fisherman’s Wharf Forward initiative, which proposed replacing the closed Alioto’s Restaurant building with a public plaza overlooking the wharf’s fishing fleet.

Before her top position, Forbes was the Port’s chief financial officer and deputy director for finance and administration.

She also held public-sector positions in San Francisco and Oakland, including finance director for the San Francisco Planning Department, and worked with nonprofit land-use and economic-development organizations.

The City Council is expected to discuss the situation at its upcoming regular meeting on Tuesday.

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