after court house auction, what's time frame in Calif.

How soon after court house steps sale must the tenant be out, to avoid the sheriff eviction

Thanks to a SB1137 which was recently passed, tenants are entitled to 60 days notice on an eviction. The eviciton itself will take additional time after that, so you likely have at least another 30-45 days after that before the Sherrif knocks on the door. The new owner is entitled to rent for the entire period, though they typically won’t pursue a judgement if you move prior to completion of the eviction.
I always recommend negotiating cash-for-keys moving sooner in exchange for money from the new owner. They do not have to offer this, but many owners and banks are willing to do this.

SB1137 was signed in July 08 - how does it apply if the NOD was filed before that date

SB1137 - does this apply only to new mortgage loans issued from 1/1/03 to 12/31/07 or are refi’s included

If NTS has not yet been filed then they need to attache affidavit to that instead.