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To contact me, please click here: Rep.Farrah.Chaichi@oregonlegislature.gov
Friends, Neighbors, Fellow Community Members,
I hope you are staying cool this summer and are finding time for moments of joy with your friends, family, and other activities. Recently we have been sending out a lot of “wonky” newsletters that dive into different policies and I can see how that might be a little overwhelming to some. There will definitely be more time for these “policy analysis” newsletters in the future, but for this month, we’d like to focus a little bit more just on our neighborhood, House District 35.
If you haven’t RSVP'd yet to attend our joint townhall, with Senator Campos and Representative Hai Pham, to recap the 2025 Legislative Session that just ended, please do so: RSVP here! It will be held at the Main Beaverton City Library on August 12th, from 6:00pm-7:00pm (doors open at 5:30pm).
Also, for future town halls and constituent engagement opportunities, please consider taking two minutes to fill out this short survey my staff and I put together to make sure we are getting out in the community in a way that is meaningful, fun, and accessible to you.
We understand how difficult things seem right now, it can feel hard to find joy. Though many of our newsletters and social media content going forward will not shy away from the hard things that need to be addressed, let’s pause for a moment and share some summer activities that are affordable, family-oriented and, most importantly, fun.
Tuesday, August 5th
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Children's Entrepreneur Market at City Hall Plaza: 5:30pm - 8:30pm at the Evelyn Schiffler Memorial Park on 5495 SW Erickson Ave., Beaverton, OR 97005
- The Children’s Entrepreneur Market is a wonderful program that gives kids the chance to experience creativity and the basics of running a business. This event will be happening at the same time, in the same location as Beaverton’s National Night Out. Make sure to bring water even though temperatures are thankfully going to be cooler this week. Attendees may sit on the grass or bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating and enjoy both of these fun community events!
Saturday, August 9th
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Beaverton Night Market: 5:00pm - 10:00pm at The Round on 12600 SW Crescent St, Beaverton, OR 97005
- The first Beaverton Night Market debuted in September 2014 as a part of the city's Welcoming Week and later grew to two larger summer events, attracting around 14,000 people each year. With a vibrant, intercultural, family-friendly space that is reminiscent of night markets internationally, the Market offers an opportunity for emerging and developing entrepreneurs to participate in a market experience as well as creating an event with multicultural food, crafts, performances, activities, and goods for families of all backgrounds in Beaverton to enjoy.
- The Beaverton Night Market has been happening for over ten years in the center of Beaverton. It is a vibrant, intercultural, family-friendly community event that gives emerging businesses an open and public space to sell their foods and other products and provides locals a fun and easily-accessible place to enjoy music, food, and being outside with their friends, family, and neighbors. I hope you have time to enjoy at least one of these events that some 14,000 people attend each year in Beaverton!
Saturday, August 23rd
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Beaverton Music Fest: 12:00pm - 9:00pm at Griffith Park on 4800 SW Griffith Dr, Beaverton, OR 97005
- The Beaverton Music Festival 2025 promises to be a vibrant and unforgettable experience for music lovers of all ages. Gates will open at 11:30 a.m., and the event will feature a full lineup of local and regional talent, along with a beer garden, food trucks, and vendors. The festival is free admission, making it an accessible and enjoyable event for the community.
Saturday, August 16th
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Musical Playground @ The Reser: 11:00am - 2:00pm at the Reser on 12625 SW Crescent St, Beaverton, OR 97005
- Musical Playground is a fun, interactive event for families with children ages 10 and under where participants can explore music and instruments from around the world. This inclusive experience offers a variety of music stations where children can play drums, guitars, pianos, violins, and ukuleles with support from trained instructors, creating music together in a fun and carefree environment. This is a free event, no ticket is required, and is designed to empower, build community connection, and inspire creativity.
Saturday, September 6th
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Beaverton Celebration Parade: 10:00am - 12:00pm starting at Griffith Park on 4800 SW Griffith Dr, Beaverton, OR 97005
- The Beaverton Celebration Parade began in 1957 and has grown into a community tradition with more than 60 festive entries from marching bands and colorful floats to civic and cultural organizations. The parade will begin at SW Griffith Dr. and will travel Westbound on 5th St., then turn Southbound on Menlo Dr, so I recommend finding a viewing spot on 5th Street anywhere between Griffith Drive and Menlo Drive! This year’s parade theme, Wild Wonders, is highlighting the amazing animals and plant life that make our world unique - from the jungles, forests, oceans, and backyard wonders across the planet. Expect some fun and creative costumes!
Photo Credit: washingtoncountyor.gov
As many folks are probably already aware, there was a heat advisory declared last week. These elevated summer temperatures remind all of us that exposure to hot temperatures creates the risk of heat illness and injury, particularly for people vulnerable to heat (e.g., very young, elderly, or with pre-existing conditions) and for those without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration. Please continue to share information with your friends and family encouraging them to hydrate, seek out cooling locations, and stay connected in case of emergency. Below is some helpful information that I found for our neighborhoods:
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Staycoolwashingtoncounty.com has helpful heat illness and injury presentation tips and resources. This includes a great new video, “Simple summer safety: How you can stay cool during hot days” (1:44).
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Cooling Centers: The main public cooling center is the Beaverton City Library, located at 12375 SW 5th Street, Beaverton, OR 97005. Regular hours are Monday through Wednesday, 10am-7pm; Thursday through Saturday, 10am-6pm; and Sunday, 1pm-6pm. You can also find a few splash pads and parks with shade in our district by using this map, as well as other cooling centers near Beaverton and Aloha: Emergency Shelter Locations.
Oregon is a Sanctuary State. This means that it is against Oregon law for state and local law enforcement or public agencies to engage in immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant. Though changes have been made recently at the federal level, they ultimately do not change the foundation of Oregon’s sanctuary promise.
Last week, I was made aware of a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid at a Montessori School in Beaverton - detaining a man after dropping his child off at the school. As the child of a hard-working, kind, and compassionate immigrant father, I am horrified. Schools should be safe places for children to learn and families to gather without fear of harm or detainment from ICE agents - full stop! The man who was detained is married to a U.S. Citizen who filed a green card application. He was going through what we have all been told are the proper channels. These actions taken by this administration across the country, and in our Sanctuary State, further show that this was never about legal immigration. We need to call these actions what they are, extrajudicial kidnappings sanctioned by the Trump administration, deep rooted in anti-immigrant and racist fearmongering.
My office is monitoring this and other ICE activities closely and remains staunchly committed to protecting our immigrant and refugee neighbors. In order to keep you, your loved ones, and our neighbors safe from any further abuses of power from this agency, please take a look at, bookmark, and share with your loved ones the important information below:
- If you or someone you know needs legal representation, please try reaching out to these non-profit entities that are qualified and ready to help:
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If you are needing to report ICE activity in your community, you can call:
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If you are needing to further resources:
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Oregon For All: Led by local grassroots advocacy organizations like APANO, UniteOregon, and Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), this coalition works to advance economic and social justice for immigrants in Oregon. Through education, research, organizing, and policy advocacy, Oregon For All’s mission is to build a more welcoming and prosperous Oregon - full of thriving, resilient, and diverse communities.
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Oregon Department of Justice: The Oregon Department of Justice (ODOJ) provides guidance on the state’s sanctuary promise on their website, including a community toolkit with more accessible information on sanctuary laws, as well as various relevant resources.
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Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement: Within the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), this office advocates for immigrant and refugee populations across the state. The Oregon Legislature established OIRA in 2021 through Senate Bill 778. OIRA was first located in the Governor’s Office and moved to the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) in 2022.
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Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (503-234-1541): IRCO works to meet the needs of Oregon's immigrants, refugees, and mainstream community members by providing culturally and linguistically specific social services.
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Immigrant Legal Resource Center: Every family should have a Family Preparedness Plan in case of an emergency. It is equally critical for immigrant families to think ahead and set more concrete plans for immigration emergencies that can arise.
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ACLU of Oregon (503-227-3186): The ACLU of Oregon has a Rapid Response Plan for encounters with ICE, which includes instructions for how to interact with law enforcement in different scenarios.
Although the revenue forecast was grim this session, we were able to secure two big wins for House District 35 and our county.
This session I was proud to work alongside other legislators in our Washington County Delegation to bring home money for two vital projects:
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The Meadowlark Senior Housing Project: Just south of downtown Beaverton, on 5th street, a new complex of 104 affordable homes for seniors, including 96 one-bedroom units and 8 studios will be built. This project will move forward after my colleagues and I successfully advocated for $3 million from the State of Oregon. 68 units are reserved for seniors earning 30% or below of the Area Median Income (AMI), 19 units are supported by Section 8 vouchers, and 30 units are designated for permanent supportive housing. Construction will be starting this summer and we will keep you updated! Thank you to the City of Beaverton staff and our Washington County delegation for making this project a reality for our district!
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Washington County Courthouse: Just west of House District 35, in Hillsboro, sits the Washington County Courthouse. The Courthouse is literally 100 years old. While it is a beautiful, historic building, it is seismically unsafe, has insufficient space for judges and staff to do their work, does not meet ADA requirements, and there are no trauma-informed spaces for crime victims or defendants to consult with their attorneys in private. Washington County is the second most populous county in Oregon and the current courthouse is too small to meet the needs of our growing, diverse community. In its current form, the county cannot support our judicial workforce and these limitations impact our constituents, often leaving them with the feeling that their access to adequate representation and to justice was lacking. My colleagues and I responded with urgency and I am proud to share that we secured the needed $1.25 million in matching state funds to initiate the Courthouse Replacement Planning Project - a crucial first step in rebuilding the Courthouse. Once the money is disbursed to the Washington County team by the Oregon Judicial Department (OJD), the planning and design process can start, which will move this vital project forward towards the construction phase.
After the 2024 short session, in the March 2024 newsletter, I highlighted the millions of dollars that we brought to Washington County for some incredibly important projects. Now there are some updates on these projects:
- The Hillsboro Recovery Center (HRC), located at 5250 NE Elam Young Parkway, opened in May of 2025. The Beaverton Recovery Center (BRC), located at 17911 NW Evergreen Place, will open in a few months. Both of these are part of the county’s Center for Addictions Triage and Treatment (CATT) and the $9 million investment we secured last year is helping to make treatment more available. As the nation, and Oregon, face a behavioral health and substance abuse crisis, these walk-in, in-person facilities are foundational pieces of a comprehensive system that will bring capacity and support services for individuals and families suffering from substance abuse disorder.
Here is a list of resources you can access if you need them!
Thank you for subscribing to and reading my newsletters! Please reach out to my office at any time for legislative or constituent matters. My staff and I are committed to serving the Beavertonians and the many other members of our district in Washington County. You can always reach us at: Rep.FarrahChaichi@oregonlegislature.gov, or 503.986.1435. To keep up with my office, consider following me on Facebook or Instagram. I am honored and grateful to continue representing House District 35 in the Oregon State Legislature.
In Solidarity,
 Representative Farrah Chaichi
House District 35
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1435
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-478, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.Farrah.Chaichi@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/chaichi
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RepresentativeFarrahChaichi/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FarrahChaichi
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