No person convicted (including pleas of guilty and nolo contendere) of a felony or a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude shall be eligible for employment by any department of the city; provided, however, that the appointing authority may disregard such conviction if it is found and determined by such appointing authority that mitigating circumstances exist, such as, but not limited to, evidence of rehabilitation, length of time elapsed since such conviction, the age of such person at the time of conviction, or the fact that the classification applied for is unrelated to such conviction. (Prior code § 2330)