In the final days on the campaign trail for Oakland City Mayor, former Congresswoman Barbara Lee and former Oakland City Councilmember Loren Taylor had candid conversations with members of the Interfaith Council of Alameda County.

"Top priorities, of course, public safety, housing affordability, our unsheltered population, good governance, and economic development and jobs," Barbara Lee told CBS News Bay Area.

"Now is our moment to reclaim our city, to respond with the urgency that is needed to turn things around, so we stop losing our residents, our businesses, revenues, and driving our city closer to bankruptcy," Loren Taylor told CBS News Bay Area.

Both candidates shared a common message that work needs to be done in Oakland to tackle issues like public safety and homelessness across the city.

Lee vows to stabilize the city's budget to provide more resources for Oakland police. Taylor promises to add more officers to the police force.

"We are hopeful that the future will be bright but there is work to do. We don't want to discount that work must be done to clean up Oakland. But the future is bright," Dr. Dee Morris, the educational chair of the NAACP Oakland branch, told CBS News Bay Area. 

She added that both candidates are lifelong members of the NAACP, and so they have decided not to endorse either of them.

With recent ads from independent groups targeting the candidates, Morris said the race has diverted from the mission of focusing on Oakland issues.

"The mudslinging, the accusations, the hearsay is all a distraction. We want to make the process as simple as possible. We want to move away from the negativity that already exists within city government," Morris said.

"A commitment to all Oaklanders, especially those that have been historically marginalized. So, specifically, areas funding and supporting public education, affordability, homelessness, the blight that Oakland has right now in many of Oakland streets, public safety is something that should be a priority," she added.

Both candidates say, however, that they have been focusing on a positive campaign.

"Unfortunately, the majority of what's going on right now is coming from outside groups, not in the campaign. Unfortunately, the folks that are advocating for or against me, I can't control," Taylor said.

"There's a lot of misinformation. I mean I have been doxed and my address and people who live around my neighborhood have been exposed. It's very outrageous what has taken place," Lee said.

The race is under more scrutiny as Oaklanders are demanding transparency in local government. Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao was recalled from office in November, and indicted on federal corruption charges.

As both candidates are working to sway voters, they are addressing alleged shortcomings head-on. Taylor is squashing what he says are rumors about outsider contributions to his campaign.

"All of our contributions are publicly available. Almost 80% of our funding is coming from individuals right here in Oakland. These lies about corporations and outsiders, it's not true. This is a grassroots, Oakland-based campaign," he said.

Lee is addressing critics that call her an establishment candidate.

"Those who say that I'm part of the establishment, they don't understand cooperation, building coalitions. They don't understand what need to do to bring people together to solve problems and build consensus. So, I would say they are really misinformed, and they don't understand that I'll take on anyone for Oakland," she said.

As both candidates hope to receive the majority support, they encourage voters to go out and cast their ballot on Tuesday.