Exhibit 23(a)

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' CONSENT

The Board of Directors
Westamerica Bancorporation:

We consent to incorporation by reference in the
registration statement (No. 33-60003) on Form S-8 of
Westamerica Bancorporation and subsidiaries of our report
dated January 23, 2001, relating to the consolidated
balance sheets of Westamerica Bancorporation and
subsidiaries as of December 31, 2000, and 1999, and the
related consolidated statements of income and
comprehensive income, changes in shareholders' equity, and
cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period
ended December 31, 2000, which report appears in the
December 31, 2000 annual report on Form 10-K of
Westamerica Bancorporation.


/s/ KPMG LLP
------------
KPMG LLP


San Francisco, California
March 28, 2001