SACRAMENTO, CA — A California ethics panel has chided a member of the state’s stem cell agency board for trying to influence funding for a La Jolla research institute he leads.

The California Fair Political Practices Commission warned Dr. John Reed in an official letter that his effort to appeal the denial of a Burnham Institute grant application raised "ethical concerns."

But the commission found Reed did not violate conflict-of-interest laws because the decision denying the grant could not be appealed.

The letter was made public Monday by Consumer Watchdog, a public interest group that brought the conflict-of-interest accusation against Reed in late 2007.

Reed voluntarily recused himself from the agency while the commission investigated the complaint.