8 lower-ranked Oakland mayoral candidates hold press event

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Election Day is just a week away and in Oakland 15 mayoral candidates are vying for voters attention.

A ranked-choice voting system will make for a lively campaign, but those who've received little attention cried foul Tuesday, saying voters to need to get to know all the candidates before next Tuesday.

Eight of the lower-ranked candidates held a press conference Tuesday so they can get their message across. They don't want their messages lost in a noisy and crowded Oakland Mayor's race.

"We're just not getting any media coverage," Oakland mayoral candidate Pat Mcullough said. "This is supposed to be one of the most important races in the state of California."

"Oakland deserves to hear from every single candidate, not just one or two or the top seven," Oakland Mayoral Candidate Jason Anderson said Tuesday.

"I am completely opposed to the influence of money in politics locally and nationally," said Saied Karamooz, another Oakland mayoral candidate.

"I'm the only conservative in the race and I have Asian backing," Oakland mayoral candidate Peter Liu said.

The press conference Tuesday was their way of getting at least some of the attention, especially when current Mayor Jean Quan and other front-runners know how to grab headlines on an almost daily basis.

The crowded field is both the blessing and the curse of Oakland's ranked choice system. There are no fewer than 15 candidates; even longtime politicos say they're confused by it all.

"Ranked choice, nobody understands it. Everyone says explain this to me, chief," Oakland mayoral Charles Williams said.

But for these candidates who've barely registered in the polls it has a lot to do with Oakland abandoning what's familiar in city politics.

Nancy Sidebotham said Oakland needs change. "We need the people to start running Oakland. We need the machine politics to stop," she said.

"How can they be so visible, and we're not. Tell me that. We have a voice. We went through the process," Ken Houston, Oakland mayoral candidate said.

For more information on the upcoming election, check out our voter guide.