Gang activity in Napa is most likely here to stay, according to authorities.

“We have regular gang activity on a weekly basis. It’s not an epidemic or a crisis, but it’s here,” said Napa Police Sgt. Terry Gonsalves, who is in charge of the department’s gang unit.

“That’s why we have gang officers working the streets seven days a week. We constantly have to stay on top of it. We’re not like Oakland. Fortunately, we don’t have those numbers. But there is no kidding ourselves. Napa has a gang problem.”

So far this year, there have been two gang-related stabbings — neither life-threatening; two drive-by shootings at residences — no one was injured; and a brawl at a quinceañera at the Napa Valley Expo, which resulted in the arrest of four suspects.

Last month, there was a proliferation of gang graffiti around Napa, especially downtown.

Gonsalves said being in a gang is all about demanding respect and marking territory. He said the two gangs knowns to have a presence here include the Sureños, which he said are the original Mexican Mafia. The other is the Norteños, a faction that split from the Sureños years ago.

The Sureños colors are blue and the gang tag is 13, for the 13th letter of the alphabet, M for Mafia. The Norteños claim red and the number 14. The gang numbers are depicted by Roman numerals.

Although gang activity and violence is not limited to a single part of Napa, Gonsalves said the most troubled area is the Westwood district in west Napa.

“The rival gangs hate each other. The Sureños are first generation in Napa,” said Napa Police gang unit officer Russ Davis. “They disrespect each other, which leads to violence.”

The violence between the rival Napa groups peaked in 1998 with the fatal drive-by shooting of 18-year-old Michael Arreguin. His death sparked gang retaliation which led to several more gang-related shootings later that year and in early 1999. Several young people were injured, and there was one more death, years later, when young Martin Veloz died of complications related to a gunshot wound.

As time went on, the gang violence in Napa subsided somewhat, but it has never faded away, and most likely never will, said Gonsalves.

Napa Police gang unit officer Pete Jerich said the gangs keep busy, “except in the pouring rain. And things slow down when school starts.”

Jerich and Davis, who make up the gang unit with Gonsalves at the helm, make their presence known. They cruise Napa in “el fantasmo azul” — the blue ghost — a dark blue, four-door, 2000 Ford with tinted windows.

The blue ghost is meant to be recognized. “We want the gang members to known the blue ghost means the gang unit is right there. It’s not used for undercover purposes,” Jerich said.

“The gang members see us, and we see them. We are talking to them all the time. Most of the time they are not that happy to see us. But we want a presence and let them know we are aware of what is going on,” Jerich said.

Gonsalves said Jerich and Davis go to the schools and identify the kids who are in gangs or hanging around with gang members.

“They look at how (the kids) are dressed and watch for gang signs. Students are not allowed to wear gang colors to school,” he said. “They do probation searches. They are doing everything they can to keep a lid on the problem.”

Because the gang mentality is mainly about territory and respect, gang violence usually involves people linked to the rival gangs.

But gang members also need money.

“That’s where the citizens have to be careful,” Davis said. “One of the recent trends is that gang members are going after illegal aliens. The illegal aliens who work usually carry a large amount of cash. And if they are robbed, they are afraid to report it to police,” Gonsalves said.

Gonsalves said even though most gang violence happens among gang members, the public is not immune.

“There can be a gang fight, shots fired and some innocent bystander gets shot,” he said.

Gang members, mostly male, can be as young as 10, but the average age is between 15 to 19, Gonsalves said.

“Many of them don’t even understand the whole gang philosophy. They just know there is hatred between the rival gangs. Most of them stay in gangs until they either move away or just get too old for it,” he said. “And there are those who just get tired of the lifestyle and want out.”

Those arrested for crimes that are gang-related not only are charged with the activity that led to the arrest, but also a gang enhancement, which could add as much as 80 percent more jail or prison time to a criminal sentence if they are convicted.

Gonsalves said there are about 750 documented gang members in Napa County.

In order to be documented, the person must be known by police officers to have been involved in gang activity in the past five years.

“It could be as simple as hanging out with gang members. But the majority of these people are not active. They may have moved away, are locked up, got out of the gang lifestyle or died,” he said. “Right now, we have about 100 active gang members.”

In 2005, the Napa County District Attorney’s Office was awarded a three-year federal-state grant for $392,500 to suppress gang violence and prosecute gang crimes in the county.

The grant pays the salary of Gary James, a full-time gang investigator with the district attorney’s office.

The district attorney’s office focuses on fighting gang violence through prevention, intervention and suppression, James said. “All three components are equally important.”

James doesn’t see any upturn in gang activity. “What I see is the trends I have seen all along. Gang activity fluctuates. There times when it spikes. That is why we are doing all we can to address the problem,” he said.

James said although there is definitely a gang problem in Napa, he would not call it critical.

“It’s here, but many citizens don’t see it on the surface,” he said. “I don’t think the problem will ever revert back to the Arreguin time. We have too many more resources and tools to fight the gang violence problem. Periodically an issue will occur and the gang problem becomes more prevalent. There is an ongoing rivalry and hatred between the two rival gangs. We can’t let our guard down. We have to stay on top of the problem.”

From June 2006 through June this year, 128 gang-related incidents occurred countywide, James said, adding, of those, 122 were referred to the district attorney’s office and were prosecuted and adjudicated.