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: February 23,
      2009             
| | -------------------------------------------
| |                                            
| |                                            
| |                                            
| | /s/ Robert D.  Sznewajs                    
| | President and Chief
      Executive Officer

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