#CityOfYes we are shutting down your bar

This says that a lot of these are about unpaid taxes. Insofar as that is true, I guess it's fine. At the same time, we've watched this board become more and more aggressive over the course of the past decade. So it's especially alarming to see the new board members described as unusually "punitive" in comparison even to that.

Ethan Ellestad, executive director of the Music and Culture Coalition of New Orleans, follows Alcoholic Beverage Control Board hearings closely and said he cannot recall an instance of its members rejecting a consent judgment in favor of a harsher penalty. Tuesday's decision raises questions about the future of small businesses, especially those that serve as "incubators" for the city's live music scene.

"Skip Gallagher is clearly very punitive and seems to be taking a punitive approach ..." Ellestad said. "For us, it's certainly concerning."

Gallagher is a Palmer appointee.