My question involves a traffic ticket from the state of: California

I am having a difficult time finding information about this in California's CVC.

Although I have only received a warning and not an actual citation, I am looking for clarity on this. Multiple law enforcement officers have admonished me for parking in a turnout on the side of a two lane state highway or other rural roadway. I asked one for clarification on this and was told the car could park in a turnout, but had to be more than a given amount of feet from the white line which marks the edge of the lane. This officer did not know what the amount of feet was - if it was 5 feet, 10 feet, 20 feet or something else. My understanding of this was if there is a turnout which is wider than a typical shoulder and there is not a no parking or no stopping sign posted - within a given amount of distance (see first question below) - then it is perfectly legal to park there. Is someone here able to clarify this?

Also:
1) If a no parking sign is posted, how far in front of and how far behind is it illegal to park? Is this distance different for a no parking sign than for a no stopping sign?

2) What exactly is the difference between 'no stopping' and 'no parking'. Obviously if one is stopped with the motor running and sitting in the driver's seat, he/she would be in violation of a 'no stopping' sign. This suggests the motorist wouldn't be in violation of a 'no parking' sign. But to what degree would the motorist have to shut down his/her vehicle and/or get out of the vehicle for them to be in violation of a 'no parking' sign?