Woman: Mayor made pass in church

Another woman has come forward with accusations that San Diego Mayor Bob Filner made unwanted advances -- this time at a church fundraiser in La Jolla to heighten awareness about refugees from Africa.

Renee Estill-Sombright, a bank employee and part-time professional singer, said she had met Filner once before and decided to re-introduce herself after singing the national anthem on a Sunday in June at the La Jolla Presbyterian Church.

The encounter quickly turned uncomfortable for the married 46-year-old, as the mayor invited her out repeatedly. Estill-Sombright said the mayor asked if she were married and lavished compliments on her.

“Oh you’re so beautiful, you’re so beautiful,” said Filner, by Estill-Sombright’s account. “I want to take you out. This is a private invite, not a social invite.”

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The gospel and R&B singer said the mayor went another step further.

“Because he missed me singing the national anthem, he said maybe I could give him a private song,” she said.

The account was first reported by 10News, San Diego’s ABC affiliate. The mayor’s office was not immediately available for comment.

Ten women — including Filner’s former chief spokeswoman, Irene McCormack Jackson — have accused him of inappropriate sexual behavior and unwanted advances, including kisses, groping and derogatory comments.

Estill-Sombright said she wants people to know that the women who have come forward still are not the only ones. And she wants Filner to resign.

The setting of her encounter, she said, left her in a powerless position.

“I was around too many people to try and make a scene,” Estill-Sombright said. “I was with my district (bank) manager and my branch manager.”

But she later described the encounter to colleagues at work, who knew of Filner’s wedding engagement at the time to Bronwyn Ingram. The response from her colleagues: “Eewww!” said Estill-Sombright.

Filner has refused widespread calls to resign and is scheduled Monday to enter an undisclosed treatment program to address his behavior toward women.

McCormack Jackson has sued the city and Filner for sexual harassment, saying he created a hostile work environment in which women were treated as “sexual objects or stupid idiots.”

The city council has turned down Filner’s request for taxpayers to pay his legal bills, while filing a cross complaint against the mayor that seeks indemnity for the city for all damages and legal fees it may face as a result of the lawsuit filed by McCormack Jackson.