SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION


                             Washington, D.C. 20549


                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT


     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


                          Date of Report: April 9, 1996


                              SIERRA TAHOE BANCORP


             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)



California                  File No. 0-15450                68-0091859
(State of Incorporation) (Commission File No.) (IRS Employer Identification No.)


10181 Truckee-Tahoe Airport Road, Truckee, California 96160-9010
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)


Registrant's Telephone Number (916) 582-3000














Item 5.           Other Events

     On April 9, 1996,  Sierra Tahoe Bancorp  issued a press release  announcing
the appointment of three additional  members to its Board of Directors,  John J.
Johnson,  Ralph H. Coppola, M.D., and Ronald A. Johnson. The Board also approved
a change in the name of the holding company to SierraWest Bancorp and intends to
submit it to shareholders for approval at the annual shareholders' meeting.








Item 7.           Financial Statements and Exhibits

(c)      Exhibits

         28.      Press release dated April 9, 1996.












                                   SIGNATURES



Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
Registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.





                                               Sierra Tahoe Bancorp
                                                    (Registrant)





Dated:   April 10, 1996                     By   /s/  Richard Belstock
        ----------------------                  -----------------------
Truckee, California                             Richard Belstock
                                                Senior Vice President/Controller













EXHIBIT 28



                 FOR:            SIERRA TAHOE BANCORP

                 APPROVED BY:    William T. Fike
                                 President and Chief Executive Officer
                                 (916) 582-3000

                 CONTACT:        Morgen-Walke Associates
                                 Doug Sherk, Jenifer Kirtland, David Gennarelli
                                 (415) 296-7383
                                 Elissa Grabowski, Jill Ruja
                                 (212) 850-5600



               SIERRA TAHOE BANCORP NAMES ADDITIONAL BOARD MEMBERS
      Board to Submit Name Change of SierraWest Bancorp to Shareholder Vote

TRUCKEE,  CA  (April  9,  1996) - Sierra  Tahoe  Bancorp  (Nasdaq:  STBS)  today
announced that it has named three additional  members to its Board of Directors.
The new members  include  John J.  Johnson,  63; Ralph J.  Coppola,  MD, 62; and
Ronald A. Johnson, 56. With these additions,  the size of Sierra Tahoe Bancorp's
Board has increased from eight to eleven members.

     "We are very  pleased  to expand our Board  with  these  three  outstanding
individuals,"  said William T. Fike,  president and chief  executive  officer of
Sierra Tahoe  Bancorp.  "Every one of these new directors  has made  significant
contributions to the Board of our Sierra Bank of Nevada subsidiary, and they are
known and respected in the business community of Reno."

     Mr. John Johnson is a retired  business owner.  Dr. Coppola is an ear, nose
and throat  specialist.  Mr. Ron Johnson is a CPA with Burgarello  Alarm.  These
three  individuals  have served on the Board of Sierra Bank of Nevada  since its
inception in 1990.

     In other  news,  the Board  approved  a change  in the name of the  holding
company to SierraWest Bancorp and will submit it to shareholders for approval at
the annual shareholder meeting.

     "The proposed name,  SierraWest  Bancorp,  is a more accurate reflection of
the Company's  position as a regional bank with opportunities for expansion into
new markets," said Mr. Fike.  "The 'Sierra' name recognizes our heritage and the
value we place on our  roots in the  Sierra  Mountains.  'West'  identifies  our
position as a regional bank with a presence in two states and will grow with the
Company as we expand within the western U.S."

     Sierra  Tahoe  Bancorp is the holding  company  for  Truckee  River Bank in
Truckee, California and Sierra Bank of Nevada in Reno, Nevada.