Elaine Christina Forbes, 53, the city manager of Sausalito in Marin County, California, was arrested less than three weeks after taking office on suspicion of burglary, the Marin Independent Journal reported.
According to the release, on Saturday morning, Sausalito law enforcement received a report of a trespass on a watercraft at the Humboldt Avenue Marina. When officers arrived at the scene, they found a woman on board someone else’s yacht—she turned out to be Forbes.
According to Marin County Sheriff's Office spokesman Dominic Iazzolino, after the officer was surprised on someone else's yacht, she said she was having a “bad morning” and then demanded that law enforcement leave the vessel. Forbes was taken into custody and taken to the county jail with bail set at $50,000.
According to the newspaper, the incident was preceded by a closed meeting during which Forbes' work was discussed. As a result of the meeting held on Thursday, the official was placed on administrative leave until September 8. The authorities did not disclose the reasons for this decision, citing “the right to privacy and labor legislation.”
“The Sausalito City Council met in closed session today and approved giving Elaine Forbes a leave of absence until September 8th. Assistant City Manager Brandon Phipps has been named acting manager and will be responsible for the day-to-day management of city administration during this period. To respect privacy and labor laws, the city will not comment further on this personnel matter,” the statement said.
City officials called Forbes' arrest “a difficult event for employees and the entire local community.” They said the work of the city administration continues uninterrupted under the leadership of the acting manager and municipal employees.
In a statement published by the Los Angeles Times, Forbes' family urged the public not to jump to conclusions and said the official was “experiencing a mental health crisis.”
“We ask that no one jump to conclusions based on limited information. As the circumstances become clearer and Elaine receives legal and medical assistance in the coming hours and days, we hope people will show compassion, patience and respect for her and her family during this extremely difficult time.”
The City Council is expected to discuss further action regarding Forbes at its meeting on Tuesday.
Forbes was appointed Sausalito city manager in May and began her duties July 1. Before that, she spent nine years as executive director of the Port of San Francisco, where she led a staff of 270 employees, according to a Forbes biography on the city's website.
