S.D. Man to Head Juvenile Justice Panel : Board Determines Delinquency Prevention Programs’ Funding

A San Diegan has been appointed chairman of the State Advisory Group on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention by Gov. George Deukmejian.

Retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert L. Cardenas, 66, replaces Michael Agopian of Los Angeles, who resigned after serving three years as the group’s chairman. Agopian will remain as a member of the 26-member board.

As chairman, Cardenas is responsible for leading the group, which makes annual decisions on what projects for juveniles will be funded by the state and how much of the $3.7-million juvenile program budget each project will get.

Programs funded under the group’s direction include delinquency prevention services, serious and violent juvenile offenders programs, child abuse programs.

Cardenas said he believes that his experiences in raising seven children of his own will help him in managing and advising the committee.

“Also, having worked through the ranks to become an Air Force general, I have had to deal with men ages 18 to 21,” said Cardenas, who served in the Air Force for 34 1/2 years before retiring in 1973. “They all have the same problems.”

Cardenas is the California state coordinator for the Southwest Border Action Group, a position he has held since his November, 1983, appointment by Vice President George Bush. He is also a member of the San Diego Crime Commission, a private group that supports police efforts in San Diego.

Cardenas said he believes that juvenile problems should be attacked where they begin--in the home. He said also said that common sense among parents sets a good example for children to follow when they’re away from the home.

“You can’t blame it (delinquency) on the children totally and you can’t blame it on the parents totally,” Cardenas said. “It’s a balance of both.”

Cardenas, who was born in Mexico, grew up in San Diego and the Imperial Valley and attended local schools, including San Diego State University, before joining the military in 1939. He was in charge of the X-1 experimental rocket plane in which Chuck Yeager became the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound on Oct. 14, 1947.

He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico in 1955 and a master’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in law from National University in 1984.

He was the director of international operations for Systems Development Corp. from 1980 to 1982.