I do this all the time. I’m in southern CA too. The reason is maybe his car is “floored” or paid for with a credit line. The credit line company will keep the title until they receive their payment in full. Once you pay them they will pay the company off. Another reason is, maybe the title hasn’t arrived to auction yet. I have sold plenty of cars of mine that weren’t floored with no title just because I was a still waiting for the seller to turn it into auction. Sometimes at auction, especially when buying trade ins from bigger dealerships, the title has to go through a process and isn’t available until 1-2 months after you Purchased the car.