Exhibit 31.1

Certification of Chief Executive
Officer

I, Robert D. Sznewajs, certify that:

|1. |  | I have reviewed this Annual
      Report on Form 10-K of West Coast Bancorp;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
|-- |  | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|  
|2. |  | Based on my knowledge, this
      report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to
      state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of
      the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading
      with respect to the period covered by this report;                                                                                         
|  
|3. |  | Based on my knowledge, the
      financial statements, and other financial information included in this
      report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition,
      results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the
      periods presented in this report;                                                                                                            
|  
|4. |  | The registrants other certifying
      officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure
      controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and
      15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in
      Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and we
      have:                                                      
|  
|   |  | (a)       Designed such disclosure
      controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures
      to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information
      relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is
      made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the
      period in which this report is being prepared;     
|  
|   |  | (b)       Designed such internal
      control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over
      financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide
      reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and
      the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in
      accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;            
|  
|   |  | (c)       Evaluated the effectiveness
      of the registrants disclosure controls and procedures and presented in
      this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure
      controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this
      report based on such evaluation; and                                                                                                      
|  
|   |  | (d)       Disclosed in this report
      any change in the registrants internal control over financial reporting
      that occurred during the registrants most-recent fiscal quarter (the
      registrants fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that
      has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the
      registrants internal control over financial reporting;
|   |  |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
|5. |  | The registrants other certifying
      officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of
      internal control over financial reporting, to the registrants auditors
      and the audit committee of the registrants board of directors (or persons
      performing the equivalent functions):                                                                                                    
|  
|   |  | (a)       All significant
      deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of
      internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to
      adversely affect the registrants ability to record, process, summarize
      and report financial information; and                                                                                                                
|  
|   |  | (b)       Any fraud, whether or not
      material, that involves management or other employees who have a
      significant role in the registrants internal controls over financial
      reporting.                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
|  

| | Dated:
      March 5, 2008           
| | -------------------------------------
| |                                      
| |                                      
| |                                      
| | /s/ Robert D.Sznewajs                
| | President and Chief Executive Officer

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