CENTRAL COAST BANCORP ANNOUNCES 5/4 STOCK SPLIT


PRESS RELEASE	Contact:	Robert Stanberry
			Chief Financial Officer
For release 9:00am EST 		(831) 422-6642


Salinas, California - February 1, 2005.  At its regularly scheduled
meeting on January 31, 2005, the Board of Directors of Central
Coast Bancorp (NASDAQ/CCBN) approved a five-for-four stock split.
Shareholders will receive one (1) additional share of Common Stock
for every four (4) shares outstanding.  The dividend is payable on
February 28, 2005 to holders of record at the close of business on
February 14, 2005.

Nick Ventimiglia, Chairman and CEO, noted that this will be the
19th stock split or dividend in the twenty-two years of the
Company's existence.  The Board feels the dividend will help improve
market liquidity of its common shares, as total shares outstanding
will increase to approximately 13,716,000 shares from 10,973,000
at December 31, 2004.  An investor, who bought 1,000 shares of
Community Bank of Central California stock when the Company was
organized in 1982, would now have 18,108 shares, or 22,635 after
the coming stock split.  If purchased at the initial offering of
$10 a share, or $10,000, the stock would be worth $404,351 at
yesterday's closing price of $22.33.  This represents an 18.3%
compounded rate of return.

Central Coast Bancorp operates as a holding company for Community
Bank of Central California.  Community Bank, headquartered in
Salinas, has branch offices located in: the Monterey County
communities of Salinas (2), Monterey (2), Seaside, Marina,
Castroville, Gonzales, Soledad and King City; the Santa Clara
County community of Gilroy; the Santa Cruz County communities of
Santa Cruz and Watsonville; and in the San Benito County community
of Hollister. The Bank provides traditional deposit, lending,
mortgage and commercial products and services to business and retail
customers throughout the California Central Coast area.

Information on the Company and its subsidiary Bank may be obtained
from the Company's website www.community-bnk.com.


301 Main Street, Salinas, California 93901