TV’s Dr. Phil wants to hug it out with the Second District’s convicted sex offenders

Britney Spears: so yesterday! Dr. Phil McGraw–television’s Oprah-approved, magnolia-mouthed mother hen–has a new cause celebre: the convicted sex offenders who live in that vintage Streamline Moderne apartment complex in the 1100 block of East First Street.

You remember them: the (now) 10 men who, according to the Megan’s Law database, all live in the same building—too close for comfort to two nearby daycare centers. Neighbors rose up last week when the news broke, staged a protest and packed the February 19 Long Beach City Council meeting to vent their fears and frustrations.

The council approved a proposal from Second District Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal, asking the City Attorney to draft a new ordinance that would prohibit convicted sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a licensed daycare center. The new ordinance would also limit the number of convicted sex offenders living in the same apartment building.

This should be good news for neighbors, if not talk show hosts. The apartment building, which changed hands last year–to a new owner who began renting to convicted sex offenders on parole–has become a one-stop shop for shock-jocks.

Hours before the City Council met, KFI 640 AM’s professionally outraged John & Ken rubbed elbows and ruffled feathers outside the building. Suja Lowenthal was photographed in the crowd, wearing a jazzy red wool coat (it was cold) and–unlike the radio rats–looking every inch a public official.

The next morning, as we all slept off the council meeting, here came Dr. Phil—or, to be precise, his talent scouts, his beaters, fanning out through the Alamitos Beach undergrowth in hopes of flushing some wild sex-offender game. Lowenthal’s field deputy Jemie Sae Koo was first to spot them outside the apartment building with a camera.

“I hear that they may actually be going ahead with something in March,” said Lowenthal’s Chief of Staff Broc Coward, admitting that, yes, McGraw’s recent fumbling grope of an outreach to pop princess Britney Spears makes you wonder why his henchmen are in Long Beach–and how they’ll do.

Last month, McGraw visited Spears’ hospital room–some said to convince the singer and her family to consent to an on-air intervention. But the television psychologist, who isn’t even licensed to practice in California, bungled the play when, immediately afterward, he released a statement on the confab–royally pissing off the Spears lobby.

“I think that’s what makes you wonder if he’s serious or not,” Coward said. The convicted sex offenders wonder, too. They’d like to know if anyone’s serious, at this point. One convicted rapist whom I interviewed at length had me talk to his girlfriend via cell phone, when she became irate that he was speaking with yet another reporter who would just twist his words.

“We’re all going to the next City Council meeting,” said the man, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Michael. “We see how they feel, and we want to let them understand how we feel. To me, you got to judge every individual by himself.”

That may be all Dr. Phil has in mind. According to Michael, one convicted sex offender living in the building has already lost his job as a result of all the bad press recently. This man, Michael said, was contacted by Dr. Phil’s people–and agreed to appear on an upcoming installment of the Dr. Phil show.

Unfortunately, when I visited the man’s apartment, no one answered the door. Minutes after that, another large man–who arrived in a pickup truck and identified himself only as a representative of the building’s owner–told me to leave the premises or he’d have me arrested for trespassing. I decamped to call Dr. Phil’s people, but they weren’t much more helpful.

“To be honest with you, I don’t know if they were out there, and our policy was that we don’t comment on a show before it’s been taped,” said Louis DiCenzo, director of media relations for Dr. Phil’s production company, Peteski Productions. “If there was somebody out there, they might have been doing research. I don’t have a list of all the producing teams.”

I confirmed the spelling of his name–but when it came to giving his title, DiCenzo balked. “I don’t want to be quoted,” he said–but when I reminded him that he’d look rather stupid not commenting–especially after I’d confirmed the TV scouts’ appearance with two convicted rapists, plus a Long Beach City Council Chief of Staff (Coward) and a Council Field Deputy (Koo), DiCenzo caved.

And that’s about it. Maybe we’ll be seeing some of the Long Beach 10 on Dr. Phil later this year–or maybe Britney Spears will change her mind and allow the tear-jerking tele-tyrant to intervene on her behalf.

What’s it like interviewing a convicted sex offender? Watch thedistrictweekly.com for Theo Douglas’s upcoming story behind the story.

Tags: alamitos beach, Britney Spears, Broc Coward, California, convicted sex offenders, Dr. Phil, Dr. Phil McGraw, Jemie Sae Koo, John & Ken, KFI 640 AM, Long Beach, Long Beach City Attorney, Long Beach City Council, Louis DiCenzo, megan's law, Oprah, Peteski Productions, pop psychology, Second Council District, shock-jocks, Southern California, Streamline Moderne, suja lowenthal