Bank of the Sierra Announces James F. Gardunio as Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Officer.

PORTERVILLE, Calif. -- Bank of the Sierra (Nasdaq:BSRR) is pleased to announce James F. Gardunio as Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Officer of Sierra Bancorp, and its banking subsidiary, Bank of the Sierra. Mr. Gardunio succeeds Charlie C. Glenn who retired on December 31, 2004. Mr. Gardunio has obtained an undergraduate degree from San Jose State University and an MBA from Stanford University. During the past 27 years, Mr. Gardunio has worked at various financial institutions including more than 10 years as a chief credit officer.

"We welcome James Gardunio to Bank of the Sierra. His knowledge and experience will help Bank of the Sierra continue to sustain its role as a great company," stated President and CEO James C. Holly, "We are truly excited about adding James to our team."

About Bank of the Sierra

Now, with nearly $1 billion in assets and strong performance ratios, Bank of the Sierra operates as the largest independent community bank headquartered in California's Heartland. The Bank operates eighteen branch offices and two agricultural credit centers. For more information visit the web site at www.bankofthesierra.com or call 888-454-BANK.

About Sierra Bancorp

Sierra Bancorp is the holding company for Bank of the Sierra, the largest independent community bank headquartered in California's Heartland. The Bank operates eighteen branch offices and two agricultural credit centers. In July 2004, US Banker magazine ranked Sierra Bancorp as the nation's 16th best-performing publicly traded community bank in the nation, based on three-year average return on equity. More information about Sierra Bancorp is available online at www.sierrabancorp.com.