Exhibit 31-1
                                 CERTIFICATIONS

I, Wilfred N. Cooper, Jr., certify that:

1.   I have  reviewed  this  quarterly  report  on Form  10-Q of WNC  CALIFORNIA
     HOUSING TAX CREDITS III, L.P.;

2.   Based on my knowledge,  this  quarterly  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 quarterly report;

3.   Based on my  knowledge,  the  financial  statements,  and  other  financial
     information  included  in this  quarterly  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
     quarterly  report. As discussed in its cover letter to its annual report on
     Form 10-K for the year ended March 31,  2005,  WNC  California  Housing Tax
     Credits III, L.P. (the  "Partnership") was unable to obtain an audit of its
     financial statements included in such annual report performed in accordance
     with the  standards of the PCAOB.  This was due to the  inability to obtain
     audits of financial statements of the entities in which the Partnership has
     invested (the "Local Limited  Partnerships")  performed in accordance  with
     the  standards  of the  PCAOB.  (Audit  opinions,  which the  Partnership's
     auditors  originally  intended to rely upon in forming their opinion,  were
     obtained from the Local Limited  Partnerships  that are in accordance  with
     generally accepted auditing  standards for the United States,  although not
     in  accordance  with the standards of PCAOB.) At the advice of the SEC, the
     Partnership  filed its  annual  report  on Form 10-K for the year  ended as
     "UNAUDITED."

     The  Partnership  continues to evaluate ways of addressing  this deficiency
     and, together with its auditors,  has discussed  solutions with the SEC and
     the  PCAOB.  To date,  those  solutions  primarily  entail  enhanced  audit
     documentation  required by PCAOB Audit  Standard  No. 3. The  Partnership's
     auditors would have to perform additional procedures related to those Local
     Limited Partnerships in order to complete their audit.

     The  Partnership's   auditors  have  been  engaged  to  perform,  and  have
     performed,  a review of the  Partnership's  interim  financial  information
     included in the Partnership's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
     ended December 31, 2005.

     Despite the  Partnership's  ongoing  efforts to address these matters,  the
     Partnership  at the time of this  filing  is an  untimely  filer due to the
     deficiency in its annual report on Form 10-K;

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))  for the  registrant and we
     have:

   (a)  Designed such disclosure controls and procedures 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 quarterly report is being
        prepared;

   (b)  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

   (c)  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 that has materially  affected,  or  is  reasonably
        likely to materially affect, the  registrant's   internal  control  over
        financial reporting; and

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5.   The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on
     our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to
     the  registrant's  independent  registered  accounting  firm and the  audit
     committee of the registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the
     functions):

   (a)  All  significant  deficiencies  in the design or  operation of  internal
        controls  which could  adversely  affect  the  registrant's  ability  to
        record,  process,   summarize  and   report  financial  data   and  have
        identified for the  registrant's  auditors any  material  weaknesses  in
        internal controls; and

    (b) Any fraud,  whether or not material,  that involves  management or other
        employees who have a  significant  role  in  the  registrant's  internal
        control over financial reporting.

Date:   February 17, 2006




/s/ Wilfred N. Cooper Jr.
-------------------------
President and Chief Executive Officer of WNC & Associates, Inc.