(a) No officer or employee of the city, except for the mayor, other council members, and personnel who receive no compensation for their services, shall work for or against, or attempt to influence, the nomination, election or defeat of any candidate for mayor or other council member, or the recall of the mayor or any other council member, while in official work status or while in uniform, but this shall not prohibit the ordinary exercise of one's right to express individual opinions and to vote.
(b) Any person who violates this section shall be guilty of an offense. Such violation shall constitute cause of removal from office or employment; and if the regular removal authority has not already removed a person who violates this section, the violator shall be automatically removed effective at the time of conviction.