Sierra Bancorp Authorizes Additional Shares for Repurchase.

PORTERVILLE, Calif. -- At a regular Board meeting held on May 19, 2005, the Board of Directors of Sierra Bancorp (Nasdaq:BSRR)(the "Company"), parent of Bank of the Sierra, approved additional shares for repurchase under the Company's stock repurchase program dated July 1, 2003 (the "Repurchase Program"). The Repurchase Program initially provided that the Company could acquire up to 250,000 shares of its own common stock in the open market from time to time. Since then the Company has repurchased 209,900 shares at a weighted average price of $18.24 per share, leaving only 40,100 shares available for repurchase under the original authorization. The Board action of May 19, 2005 supplements the authorized repurchase amount by an additional 250,000 shares.

The Repurchase Program is designed to improve the Company's return on equity and earnings per share, and should provide an additional outlet for shareholders interested in selling their shares. Repurchases are made on the open market through one or more of the Company's market makers, and are structured to conform to the safe harbor provisions of Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 10b-18. SEC Rule 10b-18 contains restrictions related to the price, timing, and volume of repurchases, among other things. Within those parameters, the Company can accept or reject any specific shares offered based upon market conditions and any other relevant considerations at the time.

Sierra Bancorp is the holding company for Bank of the Sierra, which is in its 28th year of operations and is the largest independent bank headquartered in the South San Joaquin Valley. The Bank has $1.0 billion in total assets and currently maintains eighteen branch offices and two agricultural credit centers. In its July 2004 edition, US Banker magazine ranked BSRR 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 Bank of the Sierra is available on the Bank's web site, www.bankofthesierra.com.

The statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements based on management's current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on the Company. Readers are cautioned not to unduly rely on forward looking statements. Actual results may differ from those projected. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including but not limited to the bank's ability to maintain current dividend payments or increase dividend payouts to shareholder, its ability to continue to generate record financial results, changes in economic conditions, interest rates and loan portfolio performance, and other factors detailed in the Company's SEC filings. Sierra Bancorp undertakes no responsibility to update or revise any forward-looking statements.