{"id":6623,"date":"2026-08-12T05:09:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T05:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6623"},"modified":"2026-08-12T05:09:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T05:09:20","slug":"sausalito-city-manager-pleads-not-guilty-in-criminal-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6623","title":{"rendered":"Sausalito city manager pleads not guilty in criminal case"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The city manager of Sausalito is not guilty of theft and other charges and plans to apply for a diversion program, her defense attorney said Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Read more Trio arrested in connection with San Jose armed robbery<\/a><\/p>\n

Elaine Christina Forbes, 53, did not appear in person or by video for the plea hearing in Marin County Superior Court. Her lawyer, Randall Knox, entered the plea on her behalf.<\/p>\n

The hearing was the first in the case since July 22, when a judge ordered Forbes to be released from the county jail on her own recognizance. The judge also issued an order for her to get a psychological evaluation at MarinHealth Medical Center.<\/p>\n

Forbes, who has a floating home in Sausalito, was arrested on July 18 when she was discovered on a yacht in a different marina. Sheriff\u2019s deputies booked her on suspicion of burglary, a felony with a bail amount of $50,000.<\/p>\n

The Marin County District Attorney\u2019s Office charged her with four misdemeanors: two counts of unauthorized lodging on different boats; one count of prowling; and one count of petty theft of personal property. Authorities allege she stole a woman\u2019s clothing.<\/p>\n

The arrest happened two days after the Sausalito City Council met in closed session and granted Forbes a two-month leave of absence. The city did not explain the reason for the leave.<\/p>\n

Forbes had just started the $275,000-a-year job on July 1. Previously, she was the executive director at the Port of San Francisco for nine years, overseeing a staff of about 270.<\/p>\n

Forbes replaced Chris Zapata, who held the job for five years and is now one of Marin\u2019s assistant county executives. With the county\u2019s consent, Zapata is temporarily serving as an adviser to the city. Assistant City Manager Brandon Phipps is the acting city manager.<\/p>\n

Read more Timber Fire strands endangered condors as Big Sur evacuations expand<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The plea hearing on Tuesday was held before Judge Ahtossa Fullerton. The judge set a Sept. 30 deadline for Forbes to apply to Marin County\u2019s mental health diversion program.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is getting the help she needs,\u201d Knox said after the hearing. \u201cShe understands that she needs the help and she wants it. This was so out of character for her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a combination of things I don\u2019t want to go into right now,\u201d he said, \u201cbut it was a confluence of bad circumstances that caused her to have an episode that was not in conformity with how she ordinarily behaves, and she realized she needed some help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Knox said Forbes would file an application to the diversion program soon. If she is accepted, she could avoid a criminal conviction.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

To be accepted, Forbes must have a \u201cdiagnosed mental disorder under the DSM-5,\u201d Knox said, referring to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it\u2019s got to be a significant factor in the commission of the crime,\u201d Knox said. \u201cAnd there has to be a treatment plan available, and the defendant has to be amenable to treatment. It can last anywhere from six to 24 months, and if you are successful in complying with the requirements and completing the requirements, the case gets dismissed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fullerton scheduled a hearing for Feb. 10 to resolve the case or set a trial.<\/p>\n

The city had no comment Tuesday, spokesperson Joe Vazquez said.<\/p>\n

Forbes was raised in the Bay Area and attended Bahia Vista Elementary School and Davidson Middle School in San Rafael.<\/p>\n

Read more Former juvenile probation officer charged with having sexual TikTok relationship with boy<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Elaine Forbes entered the plea through her attorney, who said the defendant plans to apply for the mental health diversion program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6622,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nSausalito city manager pleads not guilty in criminal case - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6623\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sausalito city manager pleads not guilty in criminal case - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Elaine Forbes entered the plea through her attorney, who said the defendant plans to apply for the mental health diversion program.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6623\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-12T05:09:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6623#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6623\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Sausalito city manager pleads not guilty in criminal case\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-12T05:09:20+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6623\"},\"wordCount\":595,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6623#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/f947551073ca5184bc16f0998e1aeed1.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6623#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6623\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6623\",\"name\":\"Sausalito city manager pleads not guilty in criminal case - 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