**Exhibit 31.1**

 

**CERTIFICATIONS**

 

I, Thomas T. Hawker, certify that:

 

1.               I have reviewed this quarterly report onForm 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2004 of Capital Corp of the West;

 

2.               Based on my knowledge, this quarterlyreport does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit tostate a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of thecircumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading withrespect to the period covered by this quarterly report;

 

3.               Based on my knowledge, the financialstatements, and other financial information included in this quarterly report,fairly present in all material respects, the financial condition, results ofoperations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periodspresented in this quarterly report;

 

4.               The registrant’s other certifyingofficer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosurecontrols and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and15d-15(e))) for the registrant and have:

 

a.               Designed such disclosure controls andprocedures , or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designedunder our supervision,  to ensure thatmaterial information relating to the registrant, including its consolidatedsubsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularlyduring the period in which this quarterly report is being prepared;

 

b.              Designed such internal control overfinancial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reportingto be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regardingthe reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financialstatements for external purposes in accordance with generally acceptedaccounting principles;

 

c.               Evaluated the effectiveness of theregistrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this reportour conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls andprocedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on suchevaluation; and

 

d.              Disclosed in this report any change inthe registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred duringthe last fiscal quarter of 2003 that has materially affected, or is reasonablylikely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financialreporting;

 

5.               The registrant’s other certifyingofficer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internalcontrol over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the auditcommittee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing theequivalent function):

 

a.               All significant deficiencies andmaterial weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control overfinancial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect theregistrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financialinformation; and

 

b.              Any fraud, whether or not material, thatinvolves management or other employees who have a significant role in theregistrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

 
| Date:   May 9, 2004 | /s/ Thomas T. Hawker                  |   |
|--------------------------|---------------------------------------|--------|
|                     | Thomas T. Hawker                      |
|                     | President and Chief Executive Officer |

 

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