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Port Director Elaine Forbes announces departure; commission honors Senator John Burton
Summary
Port Executive Director Elaine Forbes told the Port Commission she will leave at year-end and be available through December. Commissioners paid extended tribute to former U.S. Sen. John Burton, recalling his role in the Burton Act and formally adjourning in his honor.
Elaine Forbes, executive director of the Port of San Francisco, announced to the Port Commission on Sept. 9 that she will step down at the end of the year and has been coordinating a transition with the mayor’s office.
The announcement came during Forbes’s monthly executive director’s report, in which she also requested that the meeting be adjourned in memory of former state Sen. John Burton. Commissioners offered extended remarks recognizing Burton’s decades-long role in shaping San Francisco waterfront policy, including the 1968 Burton Act, which Forbes and commissioners said helped secure local control of the city’s waterfront lands.
Forbes said she will remain in the director role through December and is working with the mayor’s office on a “smooth succession and transition.” She described the post as “wonderful” but said she wants a job with fewer direct reports; she declined to set a public date for a successor and said she could remain into the new year if more time is needed.
Commissioners including Willie Adams, Steven Lee and Ken McNeely offered extended personal tributes to both Forbes and Burton. Adams described Burton as a political figure who “never forgot where he came from” and recounted Burton’s work on Delancey Street and other social programs. Commissioners said Burton’s legacy is “woven into port history” and credited the Burton Act with shaping modern Port governance.
The commission also adopted a motion to adjourn the meeting “in honor of Senator John Burton.” The chair called the vote and the motion passed unanimously.
The announcement did not include details on the mayor’s recruitment or the timeline for a formal search. Commissioners said there will be further opportunities later this year to honor Director Forbes and to review transition plans.
